天堂社区

Dear 天堂社区 Community -

Prior to last Monday, we were facing the greatest economic crisis in modern times, one that makes the 2008 recession and the 1929 market collapse and onset of the great depression look manageable. Prior to last Monday, we were in the midst of a global pandemic that has claimed over 100,000 lives in our country, and has altered any sense of normal functioning in our personal and professional lives. We are still facing these realities today. But last Monday, this country witnessed, again, the death of a man of color, George Floyd, at the hands of police.

The grief is immeasurable. The anger is immeasurable. As a white person, I know the distressing thoughts, feelings, and heartache these events cause in me. HOWEVER, I can only imagine what these events do to our colleagues and friends of color. This is their daily lived experience. My colleagues and friends of color have shared with me their experiences of what it means to be black or brown in our country. What it means to fear for their lives, and their sons鈥� and husbands鈥� lives. The exhaustion our colleagues and friends of color are experiencing as a result of Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death needs to be acknowledged.

For our colleagues of color at Green River, it is not your responsibility to tell those of us who are white what to do as a result of George Floyd鈥檚 death or to explain to us how you feel. This is not your responsibility. I ask all of us at this college who are white to watch this brief video from Jane Elliot that was recorded in 2016 and another short video recorded in 2017. You may get interested in watching some other videos of hers. I encourage you to do so because her discussion of the impact of prejudice and discrimination on a person鈥檚 ability to learn is illuminating.

In moments of tragedy, the expectation for a president is to write a note to the college acknowledging the event and to offer words of comfort and inspiration for moving forward. The expectation is to remind the college of our commitment to serving diverse communities and that we, above all other institutions of higher learning, provide access to education for all, especially those who have been marginalized and underserved. I am really struggling with this, because this is not enough. It has never been enough. There are no words that can adequately express or address what has unfolded over the past countless years in our country, let alone this past week.

Words are not unimportant, though, and they do mean something 鈥� however inadequate they may be to a situation. Green River, we have made progress over the past few years as we have prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion, but much more is needed. It is actions and thoughtful analysis and planning that will change historical practices and systems of injustice. What do actions look like at our college? We must examine our processes and policies that have been handed down across generations and centuries within higher education 鈥� a system that was created to exclude individuals and sustain a culture steeped in inequalities and inequities. It is time to increase our focus on this work. The imperative of this work is very clear. I have shared with you countless times the quote from Nelson Mandela that motivates me each day: 鈥淓ducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world鈥�. We must do this work together. No matter our points of reference or lived experiences, we are all members of 天堂社区.

There also needs to be space and time for our community to process feelings, experiences, and impacts that George Floyd鈥檚 death has had. I am calling upon Green River to create spaces and opportunities for these conversations to occur. We must do this for those who work here and for those who study here. I understand that our faculty are already organizing discussion opportunities this week. I will be reaching out to GDEC and the office of ODEI to support their interest in organizing meetings where students of color and staff of color can come together to support each other through this most recent tragedy. I must listen to all of you to know what you need to process in the short term and to support actions moving forward for the long term.

As we move forward together I ask you all: What will our college鈥檚 future be?

Stay well and be in community鈥︹�� Suzanne

天堂社区 Community,

Earlier this week President Johnson sent a message to campus entitled 鈥淭here are no words.鈥� As an Executive Team, we wanted to follow on with this message from us.

鈥淓nsure student success through comprehensive educational programs and support services responsive to the needs of our diverse communities.鈥�

This is our mission. Our challenge, during the most challenging of times, is to fulfill our mission and live up to our values.

Last week鈥檚 killing of George Floyd put in clear focus, once again, the systemic, structural racism so deeply rooted in all aspects of our society. Protesters across the country and around the world are raising their voices to challenge social injustice, particularly around police practices and the criminal justice system.

Institutions of higher education must accept we are complicit in the structural racism that persists throughout our country. As the leadership team at 天堂社区, it is our responsibility to step up and lead the institution in raising awareness, in urging action, and in realizing real, institutional change.

We are accountable for the educational environment and culture we cultivate and sustain. We must critically analyze the college鈥檚 structures and practices. We must ask what values these systems reflect. Diversity? Equity? Inclusion? How deeply are these values truly reflected throughout our institution? Where we identify gaps, we will take action to align structures and practices with our values.

We will walk together. To stand up. To speak up. To lean into discomfort. To have the courage to change our college in ways that support social justice and put our values into practice. The measure of our collective effort will be the extent to which our values are reflected in the lived experience of all members of our 天堂社区 community.

Our hearts go out to all who are experiencing pain and grief, anger and anxiety, especially our Black students, staff, faculty and other people of color. Together, we will continue to work as educators to educate ourselves about racism and the profound harm it continues to produce.

We invite you to join us in dialogue, in education, and in taking action. Here are five ways we can start engaging.

1. 8:46 AM to 8:55 6/1/2020 until 6/5/2020 George Floyd. Join the faculty, as we are as a team, in engaging in the faculty union鈥檚 suggestion to pause every morning for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. It is a long time. Be mindful of the breathes you take during that time. Reflect on George Floyd. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 breathe.鈥� What do you feel? Consider finding a way to express your feelings and thoughts. Journal. Write a poem. Draw. Dance. Dialogue with someone. Do something daily to make a difference.
2. GDEC/ODEI: GDEC and ODEI offer a wide variety of events and engagement opportunities. As an Executive Team, we are committed to supporting and participating in these events. There are safe spaces for our Black and Brown and marginalized communities. There are challenging spaces for our white and privileged communities who need to lean into discomfort. Wherever you are at in your journey, find a path and engage with these activities.
3. Summer Book Club: We invite you to join the Executive Team in reading and reflecting on books focused on racism. In March of 2011, we were honored to have Maya Angelou as part of our Artist and Speakers Series. She had just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 鈥淚 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings鈥� was our One Book that year. During her visit, Dr. Angelou dedicated a poem to Green River entitled 鈥淎 Brave and Startling Truth.鈥� The poem was 鈥淒edicated to the hope for peace, which lies, sometimes hidden, in every heart.鈥� Attached is a copy of a Campus News article by Dani Crivello-Chang with the poem included. For those who attended the event, it was incredibly moving. So, ten years later, where are we now? What moves us now? Let鈥檚 read together, dialogue together, and open our hearts to the hope for peace.
4. Strategic Planning. How fortunate we are to have an opportunity to engage in a comprehensive, full college reflection about who we are and who we want to be. The process is being designed to embed equity and inclusion as core strategies in our next 5-year plan. As an Executive Team, we are committed to participating in the strategic planning process with an equity lens. We encourage everyone to engage.
5. Office of VP DEI. The Executive team supports the on-going listening and dialogue President Johnson is facilitating to hear the voices of the College regarding an Office of VP DEI. Alongside the work currently being implemented in ODEI and GDEC, this office can offer the College an opportunity to focus on understanding systemic racism and the difficult and necessary work that must be done by all of us, together. At the Executi.ve Team level, we are committed in our leadership roles to walk with leaders at all levels to do the work of institutional, structural, and fundamental change.

We are united in our commitment to change aimed at building a more diverse, inclusive and equitable community here at 天堂社区, and to create, as Maya Angelou said in her poem:

A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear

With compassion and commitment,

Green River Executive Team鈥�Camella, Deb, Fia, George, Rolita, Shirley, Wendy