Everett Community,

We cannot be silent in this time of civil and social unrest. The murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department and “unrelenting anti-Blackness of 2020” (UCSC BSU official statement) has reignited civil uprisings in the United States over the ongoing murder of innocent Black people by the police. The outrage and frustration being visibly demonstrated through direct action stems from 400 years of violence and oppression towards Black community members at the hands of the State.

While the violence of the State toward Black communities is not new, the more widespread access to technology is. This advancement has allowed activists more power to organize and spread information to expose realities that would otherwise go unreported and unacknowledged. As a program dedicated to using technology as a means to increase impact and to create genuine social change, we acknowledge how crucial the use of social media, access to filming, as well as the rapid spread of information and protest tactics have been essential to the success and impact of these protests across the country. We also condemn the use of media to disseminate false information that incites fear around the demonstrations, broadly labeling protestors as “looters” when this country has been founded on looting. Additionally, White supremacist groups have taken use of these platforms to spread dangerous misinformation inciting fear around demonstrations.

As the program has continued to evolve, we have failed to properly address this history and how it has shaped our program’s vision and motivations. Because we value change, unity, and justice, the 2020 and 2021 cohorts felt it would be insufficient and unjust to ignore our past as we plan to move forward. In order to grow from our past, we want to focus on uplifting voices of activists of color, specifically Black voices in this conversation about the structures of White supremacy and racism in the United States of America. We acknowledge this program was developed under a system that lacked consciousness of the harmful effects of the White savior approach and we are committed to deconstructing.

We are standing in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and are respecting and following the leadership of Black organizers and the different strategies that are being implemented. We are standing in solidarity with the organizers, protestors, and medical responders. Moving forward, we commit to expanding our outreach to include and encourage the vast diversity of community-focused groups already doing amazing work on our campuses such as the African American Resource Center (AARC), the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC), Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center (AA/PIRC), Chicanx Latinx Resource Center (El Centro), Lionel Cantu Queer Center, and Women’s Center.

Our nation was founded upon the violence against Black and Indigenous people of color and White folx benefitting from racist structures. To be silent is to be complicit. Action needs to be taken. To be an active participant in the work being done to address the issue of police brutality and White supremacy in our country, please look into signing petitions, calling and emailing representatives, donating to community organizations, supporting Black-owned businesses, having conversations with your family and friends especially if you are in a place of privilege, and taking the responsibility to educate yourself with existing resources. It is not the responsibility of the Black community to educate you. Protest peacefully when it is possible, and any other support requested by the Black community. Use your platforms to spread the words and information coming from Black organizers, lift up their voices, and avoid co-opting a movement for yourself. Please look through the resources we have provided below to increase your involvement and knowledge in the ways you are able.

In Solidarity,

The Everett Fellowship