Addressing Hate During COVID-19

Description

Over the past 13 months, as we have struggled and persevered through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, far too many people around the world, nationally, and locally have been the target of reprehensible expressions of hate and acts of violence. This trauma has unfolded in many forms, from the rise in recent and ongoing horrific attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, to the symbols of racism and anti-Semitism brandished threateningly during January's Capitol insurrection, to the discrimination and harm directed toward transgender people, and the enduring pain and fear borne by our Black and Latinx communities who are disproportionately the victims of racial violence. We were sadly reminded of this again last week when yet another young Black person was killed by police in Minneapolis, even as the trial unfolds of the officer accused of killing George Floyd less than a year ago.

In the spirit of providing such an opportunity for healing, allyship, and action, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host a conversation about the impact of national incidents of hate and violence and about actions that we can take to support members of our community should incidents occur on our campuses. Vice Provost of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Katrina Caldwell and other colleagues from across the university will facilitate the discussion. This gathering, the first in the Office of Diversity and Inclusions's newly created Bearing Witness series, will offer a space for participants to reflect and engage with one another.