|
It seems I am writing messages such as this one far too often. Hate continues to permeate our society, and we cannot turn a blind eye. I refer, of course, to the horrific shooting this past Saturday in Colorado Springs in which five young people were murdered. The crime took place in Club Q, a venue identified with the LGBTQ community—a fact which cannot be ignored.
We cannot sit silently by while hate crimes are committed. We must take a stand by condemning these bigoted actions and calling them out for what they are. The Queens College community extends its deepest condolences to the families of Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Vance. We also commit, in their memory, to continue to strive to make our institution one where love triumphs over hate, and unity triumphs over division.
I wish to use my role as president of Queens College to point out how rhetoric—in speeches, social media, print, or however it is spread—can lead to violence. Too many people encourage and incite what are turning into predictable actions, such as the tragic one this past weekend. The safety of each and every one of us is at stake. Thinkers in the great philosophies throughout our human history have realized that those who would wrong one, would wrong another; their animus cannot be contained.
We are a community—greater and more powerful together than the sum of each of us as individuals. It is my fervent hope that together, we can bring about change by educating today’s youth and empowering them against hatred and bigotry of any kind. Each person has a right to live as they want and deserves to be respected for that. No one should be attacked for how they look, where they come from, what language they speak, or how they choose to live their lives. This we can all affirm with certainty and commit to supporting that right for ourselves and for others.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Colorado Springs as they deal with this heinous tragedy.
| 
