Monday, June 1, 2020 | 4:15 p.m.
| |
| Dear Red Wolves:
Three years ago this week, the A-State Staff Senate mailed Beth and me the Every Red Wolf Counts t-shirts that they had created. I was still a month away from starting at A-State, but the gesture confirmed that we had made the right decision to move to Jonesboro. It also reminded me while Red Wolf students are central to our enterprise as a university, ERWC includes our employees. Members of the faculty and staff are also Red Wolves, and they need to know that they also count. That they also matter.
I love serving alongside our A-State faculty and staff as we help to change the lives of our students (and the world around us). Sadly, the world around us threatens to crush our spirit. It reminds us daily of the challenge our country faces to make sure that every PERSON counts.
We have all watched in horror the deaths of unarmed Black Americans in our country. From Ahmaud Arbery, to Breonna Taylor, to George Floyd, I mourn that each of these individuals lost their lives prematurely. I also grieve for my friends who witnessed these events much differently than I did. The events remind us that our social institutions often do not grant Black people equal access to justice, health care, education, and jobs. Indeed, that is the rationale behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Those of us who promote BLM are not saying that only Black lives matter, but that until we can assure that Black lives matter, then how can we say that all lives matter? We cannot.
The question before us, my friends, is how do we respond? We can no longer ignore the problem, nor can we presume that the problem only exists somewhere else. Just as A-State changes the lives of the people who serve and who learn here, we must take advantage of our position as the educational and cultural leaders of our region to also change the lives of the people in our community, in our region, in our state, and in our nation.
To our Black students, faculty, and staff: As angry as I am about what I have observed over the past few weeks (and longer, to be honest), I cannot know what you are feeling. Even though these deaths occurred miles away from our campus, I know that each of these recent evil events must strike deeply with you because you closely identify with the victims. While I know that intuitively, I also know that I will never fully understand the depth of your pain or your fear. I will never comprehend how differently you feel when you or your children prepare to leave your house. I can only say that I hear you, that I cherish you, and that I remain committed to doing everything that I can to keep you safe and to make sure that you have all the help that you need. You are an integral part of the Red Wolf pack, and your university stands ready to support you any way that we can. I stand with you.
To our entire campus community: Please know that your feelings, whatever they may be, are legitimate. In addition to witnessing these recent tragedies, we have all been living under tremendous stress from our COVID-19 response, the interruption of our personal/professional lives, a tornado, and many others. You may not be feeling any strain or you may be at your wit’s end. Honor your feelings because they are yours and no one can judge you for how you are experiencing these events. Remember that the university is providing resources to help you in these challenging days.
Time for Action
Words are helpful and provide consolation in challenging times, but only action will create the change we all desire. My cabinet and I are dedicated to actively seeking ways to remove any barriers to success that exist at Arkansas State. We must all look at everything that we are doing at A-State to be certain we are creating equal opportunities for all, and that starts today.
The first step is to give voice to those who are unheard. To that end, we are scheduling a series of virtual Town Hall meetings to give voice to students, faculty, staff, and alumni who might be able to identify blind spots for us. Dr. Maurice Gipson, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement, will moderate the meetings, and members of my cabinet will also attend. We will not be listening to reply, but listening to learn and listening to improve.
In closing, I must confess that I am uncertain exactly what we must do in the coming months to be sure that we are meeting our obligation to our students, faculty, and staff. But I do know that our campus community believes that these are equally important and achievable ideals at A-State. I also know that many of you are motivated to work together to make this change happen. The time to start making that change is now.
As a reminder to all: The strength of each Red Wolf is the pack. You are not in this alone. The pack stands with you. I stand with you. Lean on us.
Submitted in humility,
Kelly
P.S. -- I know that there are other issues of disparity that need to be addressed at our institution. When we developed our strategic plan, one of the five goals was to improve A-State spirit and campus culture. The goal focuses on the idea that ERWC needs to permeate the entirety of what we do at A-State, so that everyone -- regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, nationality, or other designation -- is granted full and complete access to opportunity and hope. Today’s message is focused on the members of our Black community, but we will also be addressing all of these important issues as well.
| |
|