[Cas-allemps] Against hatred, racism, and violence

[CAS Dean]

Dear CAS Faculty, Staff, and GEs,
I hope you've read the statement<https://president.uoregon.edu/speaking-out-against-hatred-racism-and-violence> issued by the president, provost, vice president for Equity and Inclusion, and vice president for Student Life speaking out against hatred, racism, and violence in wake of the tragic death of George Floyd.  Recent events have shed light once again on the racism that continues to permeate our society and threatens not just the livelihoods, but even the lives, of African Americans.  As we struggle with the pain of these events and the larger issues they speak to, we must also be there for each other and look for productive ways in which we can work toward ending racism.
As employees of a major, public university, we thankfully have a number of immediate ways to do this.  CAS faculty and students generate scholarship that challenges us to understand and confront racism. Many of our faculty and graduate students teach classes designed to provide our students the tools to dismantle racism.  And staff and faculty work together each day to make our departments more inclusive and welcoming. This is a clear place for all of us to begin.
As you may have noticed when you walk into Tykeson Hall from the north entrance, this instruction by scholar and civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois is etched into the concrete as a reminder of our higher purpose: "Education must not simply teach work, it must teach life." Although it may be months until we can enter the building again and see those words in person, we can continue to teach life in ways that honor these ongoing struggles and ensure that we learn, lead, and change.
In the spirit of "teaching life," I encourage faculty, staff, and students to attend the African American Speaker and Workshop Series<https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/uo-african-american-workshop-and-lecture-series> focusing on structural barriers to equity in the COVID-19 era and the resilience of African American communities facing inequity and violence. I look forward to coming together as a community to confront our problems and seek solutions.
Sincerely,
Bruce Blonigen
Tykeson Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.uoregon.edu/pipermail/cas-allemps/attachments/20200602/f57f0d00/attachment.html>