Dear CoCEAL Colegas,
We find ourselves in a time, yet again, where we are experiencing overt racism, hate, and lack of value for human life in our country. There has been no shortness in culpability as threats to People of Color continue to increase, particularly through wrongful deaths in the Black community at the hands of police, White vigilantes, and COVID-19. What happened to George Floyd earlier this week and the events that ensued, lay bare (again) with much clarity how pervasive the entrenched system of racism is in our nation. Floyd’s death is not an isolated incident of racial violence toward our Black brothers and sisters. Since February 23
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, we have mourned several wrongful deaths, including today with the death of Tony McDade, a Black trans man from Florida. It is important we stand with the Black community to engage in action-oriented solutions to shift anti-Blackness in the Latinx community, while also naming how we too benefit from White supremacy.
At the same time, we must continue to support our students, colleagues, loved ones, and ourselves through this difficult time of a pandemic, economic crisis, and continuous acts of racism. Please know you are not alone in this and that CoCEAL stands with you. We share in your grief, exhaustion, anger, or perhaps, numbness. If you need someone to lean on or talk to, we encourage you to reach out to us, or one another. The CoCEAL community is here for you and your needs for support, advocacy, and processing challenging and tiring events.
In Solidarity,
Your CoCEAL Executive Leadership Team
