05/29/2020
We Stand Against Racial Injustice
We, members of the Department of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University, Mankato, stand against racial injustice and we condemn the killing of George Floyd.
We seek to infuse racial justice in all ways through our work. On Monday, May 25th, racial justice failed when George Floyd, an African American man, died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
Yet again, systemic racism rears its head as another Black man’s life is violently taken. We will not turn a blind eye to institutionalized racism nor will we preserve our entitlement to comfort by blaming the victim, trivializing the motives of the perpetrator, or claiming that the moral outrage is exaggerated.
We ask this question: What was so inherently threatening about George Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed, face-down-on-the-pavement Black man accused of a non-violent crime that necessitated an armed and supported White officer to kneel on his neck for nine minutes while ignoring his pleas for help as witnesses recorded the incident actively objecting to such force?
This was not an unfortunate, knee-jerk reaction or split-second accident. This was avoidable and appeared to be intentional. This tragedy is a direct reminder that the lives of some are more valued than the lives of others. We reject this notion. Black lives do matter. George Floyd did matter. We will not tolerate the callous disregard of his life.
We denounce this abuse, stand with all who are oppressed, and seek to understand the root causes of racism to mitigate the hateful bigotry in our communities. We will resist against this and other racial injustices. We grieve with George Floyd’s family, friends, and our entire community.
We commit to using our voices and will actively develop school leaders who are racially conscious-- so that our students and colleagues of color are seen, understood, and loved. We must ALL find the courage to demand an end to these brutal tragedies.
Embracing our collective humanity is our way forward.
Department of Educational Leadership,
Jean Haar, Dean College of Education
Bernadeia Johnson, Faculty
Natalie Rasmussen, Faculty
Candace Raskin, Faculty
Melissa Krull, Faculty
Jason Kaufman, Faculty
Ginger Zierdt, Faculty
Jinger Gustafson, Faculty
