| Trouble viewing this email? Read it online. |
| January 14, 2022 |
|
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Dear Santa Clara University Community, As we look forward to celebrating the life and impact of Martin Luther King, Jr., the urgency and importance of his work continues to grow. All around us we are reminded of the many ways in which his dream remains unfulfilled. Yet while achieving a better and more just world may seem impossible at times, we are so grateful for and heartened by those who remain steadfast in this pursuit. Many of us are bearing a heavy cross that contributes to the darkness we feel. The pandemic, racial, social, and economic inequities, housing and food insecurity, mental and physical health challenges abound. Many in our communities are suffering. At the same time, we are witness to myriad ways in which Dr. King’s teachings and encouragement continue to thrive. His teachings, as well as the evolving work toward racial justice and civil rights, have inspired SCU to develop important resources for institutional change and practical engagement with social justice action. We lift up the extensive grassroots programming and engagement of faculty, staff, and students with racial justice, human rights, and restorative justice initiatives from so many groups and units across campus. We recognize integral efforts such as the new Division of Inclusive Excellence, the enhancements in our student residential learning communities, the Advancing Racial Justice Dashboard to track our engagement, anti-racist and justice action resource pages in Campus Ministry and in the academic units, and a new degree concentration in restorative justice. These initiatives, complemented by the upcoming campus and community programming for the Martin Luther King holiday and Black History Month, foster the transformation of our minds, our hearts, and our actions to fulfill our mission commitment to build a more humane and just world. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963. As global citizens, together we make up the single garment of destiny of which Dr. King speaks. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - and all days - let us reaffirm Santa Clara University’s shared commitment to racial and restorative justice. This means more than being “anti-racist.” Instead, we are saying “yes” to deliberative and active efforts to address racial bias at its core, to dismantling the policies and practices that prevent lasting change, and to healing fractured relationships in our community in the hopes of promoting deeper understanding and respect. Justice was never a single issue for Dr. King. Instead, he sought to create the enduring foundations of justice by reforming economic structures and living out of a profound commitment to the power of nonviolent resistance. In honoring Dr. King’s legacy, let us respond to his call to justice by attending to all its dimensions in our campus and community lives. With peace and gratitude,
Alison M. Benders Shá Duncan Smith
|
| Home |