Guilty Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial
Dear Students,
As we continue to reflect and make meaning of Tuesday’s guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, our offices stand with all of those impacted. The guilty verdict came after ten months of protests, pain, and suffering. We keep all who have dedicated themselves to fighting racism and injustice in the forefront of our thoughts. We especially want to recognize our students and educators of color, who often bear the burden of providing support to others while dealing with their own trauma.
While we have witnessed a rare glimpse of what future accountability could look like, justice and equity have not yet been achieved, as hatred and violence against people of color and other marginalized identities continue to result in untimely deaths. Within the past month, Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino teenager from Chicago and Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black male from Minneapolis were killed by police. Shortly after the news of the Chauvin verdict was announced, we learned that Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black teenager in Ohio, was killed by an officer after calling 911 for help.
We ALL must do more to ensure that our campus community is safe and inclusive of all our identities. We’re not immune to incidents of bias and hate taking place in our community. We must commit to ending any form of violence targeting APIDA, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQIA+ folks, members of the Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim faith communities, those with disabilities, and many others who are a part of our diverse community. We must continue to support and advocate for the respect, safety, and inclusion of all community members at Rutgers, especially those historically marginalized. As part of the Division of Student Affairs, the Dean of Students Office and the Cultural Center Collaborative are committed to supporting our students, listening to their concerns, and advocating to help address systemic issues and make Rutgers a beloved community.
While we are not together physically, #WeRUnited and stand in solidarity with all impacted by hate, bigotry, and violence. The following quote by Black, queer novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist James A. Baldwin captures the essence of what we must do to be the change we want to see in the world: “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
In Solidarity,
Cultural Center Collaborative
Office of the Dean of Students
