A Message from the MUC & Kimmel Team
Posted June 5, 2020
Dear MUC, Kimmel and Alestle Staff,
We must acknowledge the pain and fatigue of the Black community here locally and nationally. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other acts of violence against the Black community have deeply hurt members of our community. We acknowledge our need to act and support our Black students and staff who continue to face systems of oppression, microaggressions and violence on a daily basis due racism in our society. We acknowledge our silence with everything happening in our communities and how painful and damaging that silence has been to our team. To our Black staff, we are sorry. We failed in our responsibilities to respond with compassion, understanding, and solidarity in a timely fashion.
There are no easy answers to solve these issues, but we as a leadership team and as a department are committed to working toward a lasting positive change through education, staff developments about racism and social injustices, and support of staff in attending diversity programming on campus. We acknowledge and denounce racial injustices and the violence and the oppression that it produces. We know the work we have to do as individuals is immense and a life long journey. We must ensure our work is removing barriers instead of creating them.
For those members of our community who are hurting, frightened, or outraged by recent events, we see and hear your concerns, and we share your feelings of anger and powerlessness. Nevertheless, we will go on seeking to improve that which is within our control: to make our environment as safe, supportive, and inclusive as possible. Understanding these incidents and the risks facing our minority students and staff, we just ask everyone to support and look out for one another.
If you are struggling emotionally, you can connect remotely with various online counseling services in the area. If the situation is taking its toll on you physically, please seek medical attention your personal medical support team. And as always, if you experience or witness discrimination here at SIUE, the Equal Opportunity and Access Office remains available to serve SIUE students, faculty, and staff remotely.
Please, let us know what you need.
Sincerely,
Kelly Jo, Nik, Sarah & Andrea
