Our hearts are truly saddened over the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, who, like countless others were killed, either by police or by people who were touting their rights as citizens. I am angry; I am sad; I am overwhelmed with raw emotions. This is becoming so commonplace in the United States of America that it is gut-wrenching.
The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Prince George’s County’s own Prince Jones, Jr. and William Green, are examples of hundreds of African Americans before them, killed because of systemic racism and inequitable treatment that exists in our country today. It haunts us constantly! Even as we chant “Black Lives Matter,” they are just words. Words without deed or action do not matter.
Just the simple threat of police interaction is terrifying to people of color. If you don’t believe this, think about the privilege that is exhibited every day by others who know now that just the very threat of police intervention can be traumatizing to those who are threatened. Consider this - the privilege of a woman in a park who is so confident that she can call law enforcement on a Black man who questions her about not adhering to the requirement to have her dog on a leash; the privilege of a man who questions whether the Black men in the weight room of a high-rise actually have any business there; the audacity of a president who believes he can walk down 5th Avenue in New York City and shoot a Black man, and no one would blink. Every day, it is just too much – the excessive force and callous brutality.
As I watched the news coverage of protests in cities across our country and the globe, I understood the emotions protestors carried as they spoke out, because they are me, and I am them. I understand the years of continued calls for actions to take place on a national level to eliminate the injustice and inequality that people of color face on a daily basis. And, still in the 21st century, we cannot escape the need for others to see us as “less than.”
As the mother of a son, I understand and live daily with the fear that exists in not knowing or believing that someone else values my child’s life. These feelings are all too real and represent an unfortunate truth about what it is like to be a person of color and a Black man in the United States of America.
As president of Prince George’s Community College, I know I am responsible for reassuring our students and each one of you that we are committed to inclusion while embracing the diversity that is our College. As a predominantly Black institution, we want all of our students and employees - faculty and staff - to know that racism has no place here. Our values intuitively support the movement and cries for social justice and equality for everyone. Our strategic goal of regional impact serves as the basis for ensuring that our voices are loud and our voices are heard. We cannot remain silent about this issue. It is in America’s higher education institutions that we can discuss, debate, engage, and work collaboratively to make a change. It is within the College’s mission that we continue to foster opportunities that advance the development of diverse populations that contribute to the economic equity and cultural vibrancy of our community.
As we think about what it will take to end systemic racism and social injustice, we know that the solution to the problem will not come overnight. We understand that the fight has been and will be long, but fight we must! I offer this one piece of advice: please do your part and vote. Ensure that the individuals who are in positions of power hear your voice, know the matters that deeply concern you, and act upon them in ways that respect the rights of all human beings.
For the last three months, we have heard the following statement repeated as we battle COVID-19, “We are all in this together.” Today, that statement takes on new meaning, as we ponder the words of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”:
For once I'm my life
It's gonna feel real good,
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right
My favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change