The School of Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Ethnic Studies and Social Justice stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the Black community’s call to action to dismantle systemic racism.
Our Departments join the chorus of voices around the world expressing outrage about police violence. We stand in solidarity with those who demand justice in the name of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and countless other lives that have been taken at the hands of police.
The violence opposed by the Black Lives Matter movement has touched our college community, specifically with the police-involved killings of our former students Alex Nieto and Sean Monterrosa. We will continue to say their names, and those of others unjustly killed, and fight for justice in concert with the broader community.
We stand in outrage with the Black community for yet another life lost to police brutality. Our hearts are heavy with the grief that is an all too familiar partner of a senseless death. We are angered by the violent reactions against those who march peacefully in the name of justice.
Our Departments provide students with the tools needed to learn about American culture and society to understand the achievements and failures of our country. At the core of our educational mission is a commitment to justice, fairness, and equity. City College has been an institution that has been at the forefront of the fight against racism and bigotry through the power of education, helping millions of its students of all races, ethnicities, abilities, religions, sexuality, genders, and economic circumstances change their lives. We are committed to ensuring that every student feels like they belong. Every student is valued. Every student is respected.
- We condemn the violence towards Black and Brown bodies and communities, and dedicate ourselves to cultivating and remedying inequity in all spaces we inhabit, including examining our personal and collective blind spots in relation to racial and social justice.
- We commit to deepening our understanding of the growing calls around the country and the world by so many who are in pain, dealing with the loss of loved ones, and erasure of their experience and expertise in their classrooms, workplaces, and communities.
- We join the call by activists and scholars for individual, collective and systemic change, especially in education. We recognize and affirm our responsibility to lift up the rights of all marginalized people.
- We stand with our students, our communities on the front lines of social and political protests, and all who dare to envision a world in which love, empathy, and respect for each other are the primary reasons for every social encounter.
We take seriously our responsibility to ensure that all students are able to grow and learn in a safe environment that respects multiple perspectives, recognizes the need for social justice, and provides adequate resources for every student to meet their full potential. As faculty, our mission is to provide students with the outstanding and equitable education they deserve.
