Standing with Black communities in the wake of the Rittenhouse verdict

The following message was sent by email to all students, faculty and staff on Nov. 22, 2021.

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SUNY New Paltz stands with Black communities across America and especially the Black community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the wake of the Rittenhouse verdict.

We are in solidarity with those who gather in peaceful protest to shake the foundations of racism and call us to collectively and actively confront the inequality and violence that stems from white supremacy. We hope for healing for the Blake, Huber, Rosenbaum and Grosskreutz families. These families, and far too many others, have been touched directly and indirectly by the evils of systemic racism and have sought justice from systems that fail to dismantle the hierarchy of human value.

Members of our community, but especially our students, may be impacted as they process this verdict. Remember that each time racial injustice and violence is negated or invalidated it adds to the racial trauma experienced by millions of BIPOC people in this country. Not everyone processes the same way, but a community can seek to create brave spaces and the conditions under which someone might feel genuinely seen and heard. Take a moment to check in and offer grace to one another.

 

In peace and solidarity,

Tanhena Pacheco Dunn
Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer

Donald P. Christian
President