06/02/2020
A letter to the Elliott School from Dean Feldman:
“Dear Elliott School Community,
We share in the sadness, frustration, and anger caused by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. We acknowledge the pain and stress that our Black community is experiencing as these names are now added to the list of countless lives ended far too early. We will not be silent. We will call out these egregious acts by their name: racism. The Elliott School condemns racism and discrimination and remains committed to fostering an inclusive community. Our school’s mission is focused on advancing the understanding of global issues. We cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening within our country, its impact on our community members, or its connection to the human rights issues we seek to better understand each day.
The Elliott School’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion will hold space on Friday, June 5 at 1:00 pm ET for our community to process these recent tragedies. We are committed to providing resources and facilitating dialogue centered on racism, discrimination, and community support. To ensure we meet the needs of our community, please utilize this survey to provide topics of interest for virtual resources and programs. Further, if you would like to learn more about ways you can actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion within Elliott, please contact us at [email protected]. The Office for Diversity Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) and university partners will begin hosting events next week for the GW community to come together to process, work on healing, learn from one another, and move towards action.
To our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni, we echo our colleagues in the ODECE and affirm that you matter, you are more than enough, and you are not alone! Assistant Dean Jonathan Walker will be hosting an additional virtual gathering space for Elliott’s Black community on Wednesday, June 3 at 5:00 pm ET. If you are unable to attend, know that you can reach out directly by emailing [email protected].
Our institutional resources are also still available virtually to our community, including: Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC), Counseling and Psychological Services, Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), Advocacy & Support, Student Affairs, Human Resources, and Faculty Affairs.
As June marks the beginning of PRIDE month nationally, it is most salient to remember and uplift the contributions of Black and Brown trans leaders who served as incredible catalysts for LGBTQ political activism through the Stonewall Riots this time in 1969. While PRIDE will show up differently this year, we will celebrate our LGBTQ community through virtual opportunities later this month.
During these challenging times, let’s continue to check on each other, be gentle, and most importantly, take good care of ourselves.
For more information and additional institutional resources please visit: https://elliott.gwu.edu/diversity-and-inclusion
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