Open Letter on Race

Anonymous — Sat, 30 May 2020 20:57:19 +0000

Open Letter on Race Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 05/30/2020 - 14:57

Dear Graduate and Professional Students of the �� Boulder and greater community,

In recent days and weeks, we have seen long-standing issues of race rise to the surface with protests around the United States and the world. Once again, lives have been lost needlessly. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in rural Georgia expose an ugly truth.

The oppression, discrimination, and harassment of various racial and minority groups has always been and continues to be a central aspect of the American experience. It is our enduring nightmare and an open wound. Black people and people of color should not have to worry for their safety from bad actors and police brutality when going about their daily lives. This constant stress, trauma, and exhaustion people of color endure for simply existing in public spaces is unacceptable and immoral.

The University of Colorado Boulder is no exception to these issues. We have experienced multiple incidents of racism on our campus and in our community in recent months and years. We know that unconscious bias, microaggressions, and explicit racism degrade and demean our students of color on a regular basis. Our institution, as well as higher education as a whole, has vast racial disparities and inequities. People of color are underrepresented as undergraduate students, and the disparity of representation does not improve when we examine our graduate student and faculty bodies.

Beyond our campus we know that racial disparities exist in virtually every aspect of our society: the criminal justice system, employment, wealth, health outcomes, education, among many others. It is incumbent on each of us to fight for both the civil rights and human rights of people of color in our communities and to work to end inequality, however it may manifest.

UGGS will tirelessly continue our work to ensure all students feel safe, welcome, and valued in our campus community; please contact us to share your experience or give us feedback for improvement.