June 11, 2020
As we witness global reactions and protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and many before them, we see the manifestation of the long-standing national strife caused by systemic racism and the historic marginalization of Black lives. We, the staff of the Seattle University Alumni Association (SUAA), are writing today to affirm that Black Lives Matter. Recognizing our individual and collective complicity in systems that uphold inequities, we condemn racism and are committed to personal and collective work towards anti-racism.
We stand in solidarity with our Black alumni, students, faculty, staff and community-members who are experiencing the pain and suffering of this ongoing issue as well as its most recent manifestations. We commit to listening to marginalized voices, being actively anti-racist and putting our university mission for a just and humane world into action. We ask you, as a member of the Seattle University Alumni Association, for your solidarity and support.
With this in mind, we have asked ourselves what changes can we make? What can we do to dismantle systems of oppression and strengthen systems of support and advocacy? Doing this work properly will take time. Today, we publicly recommit to driving systemic, long-term change and growth in our organization.
However, we know that action is desperately needed now. We will take immediate action to examine our current policies and systems through the lens of anti-racism. Even the largest changes start with small steps and today we commit to several.
As you discern how to take action, we offer the following alumni, faculty and community-developed resources:
This work will take time and we are committed to doing it. As we move toward an anti-racist SUAA, we invite you to share your feedback and join us in working to create a just and humane world every day.
In deepest gratitude and support,
Your Office of Alumni Engagement