Be An Ally
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As I was mulling over the much-needed update for immediate return to work and preparations for fall, my message and its relevance to everyone’s lives was suddenly gutted of meaning and purpose. Our President and our COO have both addressed our community repeatedly on how our community is wrenched by yet another senseless and brutal murder of an African American man. I align behind and support their message of unity, or commitment to our core values, and their call to make a difference in the lives of all members of our community. The latter part is where I want to start today. It is a question (how?) that needs to turn into action: “How”. I need to find ways to make a difference for black people who are impacted by systemic and institutional racism and who face challenges every day because of it.
I watched the video of George Floyd’s life being choked out of him in terror. Yet, I averted my eyes. Although my heart was hurting, it was not courageous enough to keep watching. I then attended a webinar where I heard the impactful words of Carmen Twillie Ambar, first African American President of Oberlin College in its 184 years of history. President Ambar said this: “It’s a natural inclination when you see someone in agony to want to avert your eyes, but this is not the time to avert our eyes. This event is not isolated, and it is not singular. That’s the piece that’s so painful”. But this is not the time to avert our eyes, nor to remain silent.
What I have learned in these moments of hurt, fear, and anger, white allies must support black communities by being vulnerable and educating ourselves about systemic and institutional racism. We are called to open up to the vulnerability to learning, with the failures, of how to become better allies. We can no longer sit idly by while they carry it alone as they have for centuries. The very least we could do is lend a shoulder and share the load.
More than a decade ago I was given the privilege to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. One of the greatest honors in my life. I always felt I have recognized that honor in all my actions, every day. I brought my own multicultural background to the mix of this nation, assuming that its melting pot would allow me to blend in. I knew I lacked awareness about the complexity of the history of this country and its people. And I used that misunderstanding to stay quiet when national or local events shocked my own sense of humanity. I realized that I hid behind that misunderstanding. My own silence was nourished by the fact that, as a 6 ft 1 white male, I never had to suffer race-based discrimination. I am educating myself, both through my own explorations and the black and other people of color who choose to share their knowledge and experiences with me. I have too little knowledge of the system of barriers affecting minority communities, and the African American community in particular and it is my job to educate myself about them. However, misunderstanding is no excuse for inaction. I commit to get educated, I am willing to have the uncomfortable conversations, I am willing to say “I don’t know” and “I will find out”. I have spoken to many in the last few days, who have been gracious in sharing their story, their fear, their rage, and their immense generosity and trust and I am glad to have their guidance and support, but I understand that it is my responsibility because I am no less a citizen of our academic community than they are and we all must be fully engaged citizens if we are to meet our mission.
So, as we move in the coming days, weeks, and months to develop actions and change on our campus, I challenge you all to get educated in how to become better allies, in how to engage in civil support and conversations that provide equal opportunity to all. My office will work closely with our CLIDE group (Civic Literacy, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) and its Chair Dr. Carol Bunch-Davis, in accelerating goals set in our recent Diversity Plan Accountability Report. We will soon share these plans for input and implementation and hope to develop tangible actions that will make all members of our community safe and their voices heard.
But for the time being, I am stepping up, I am “leaning into the uncomfortable”, to borrow the words of a colleague, and I will share my shoulder. I am here.
“This is not the time to avert our eyes.”
Peace
Patrick