USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fw: Murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery

Dear USA Africa family--I thought I would share with you this email I wrote to focus attention on the role of community colleges (in WA state) in addressing the institutional racism that is crucial to understand as we respond to the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.  This is part of a broader organizing effort to address racial equity and other aspects of institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion in the WA community college system.  

Vik

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From: Vik Bahl <vbahl@greenriver.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2020 2:29 PM
To: dehpd-wactc@googlegroups.com <dehpd-wactc@googlegroups.com>; GDEC <GDEC@greenriver.edu>; foc-wa-ctc@googlegroups.com <foc-wa-ctc@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery

 

Dear all--I am writing to acknowledge the unique anguish, anger, and urgent demands of my Black brothers and sisters in the CTC system, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators and their families.  The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis follows so quickly on the heels of the news of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.  

As we know too painfully well, there have been so many other beautiful Black lives inexcusably, needlessly, and shamefully taken from us, whether at the hands of police or deluded vigilantes or avowed white supremacists.  Five years ago, following the massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, I wrote an article, published in the Auburn Reporter, entitled "How Should Community Colleges Respond to Charleston?"  I believe that question remains relevant, urgent, and unanswered.  

I am a person of color, but I cannot fully know or share the consequences of the murder of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery for my Black sisters and brothers.  I am greatly diminished by these killings, but my sense of loss--spiritual and human--and of safety, both for myself and my family, has not been so utterly shattered as it is for them.  I may be outraged, but my anger cannot begin to compare with the anger of my Black brothers and sisters, captured so poignantly in Lauryn Hill's Black Rage.  

Returning to the issue of community colleges:  When we talk of inclusion, not just for students of color but also for faculty and staff of color, how are our colleges making room for the anguish and righteous anger of Black people?  How are they making room for Black knowledge and expertise that historically are woven through and through with the necessary energies of anguish and anger?  And how are they making room for those vectors of Blackness that cannot be reduced to anguish and anger, what has been called Black excellence?  We must pose these questions for the classroom, hiring processes, promotions, performance reviews, leadership opportunities, and perceptions of collegiality.  

It may feel strange and incommensurate to pose these theoretical and strategic questions in the immediate aftermath of the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.  Yet, these questions are persistent.  They may retreat and become less visible, but tell me a time in this country's history when they are not present.  And tell me whose responsibility it is to address these questions in our community colleges.  And tell me who is holding accountable those multiple leaders in their multiple capacities at each college whose responsibility it is to address these questions.  

We will begin discussing these questions of the responsibility and accountability of community colleges for the theft of Black lives at tomorrow's general meeting of DEI in WA CTCs:  Fri, May 29, 10 am - Noon (zoom = https://zoom.us/j/91073945319?pwd=S0EyQmZLdjJuNnBlV1ZIWW0yZVFnZz09).

Vik Bahl