Standing Together In Solidarity: Black Lives Matter
Dear Leavey School of Business Community,
The vision for our community is to cultivate citizens of compassion. It is time to come together and affirm not only that Black Lives Matter, but that we will do the transformative work of turning words into action. We support the statements of our President, Father Kevin O’Brien, as well as those of faculty, staff, students, and alumni who have committed to action, and we add our voices in solidarity with them. But we all know that solidarity is not enough. We commit to listening, learning, and taking steps to erase racial injustice in the Leavey School of Business and beyond.
The Leavey School of Business acknowledges racial injustice, commits to listening and learning and will act to support justice everywhere, starting at the school itself.
This week, we received a letter from the Leavey Black Business Association and the Latinx Business Student Association stating that the Leavey School of Business is overdue in affirming that Black Lives Matter and that we are part of this movement for lasting structural change. The students showed leadership in reaching out to the LSB administration and we answer that leadership with partnership and participation. It is time to state, unequivocally, that there are critically important challenges that we need to address.
In its history, student activism has shaped the Black Lives Matter movement. Their vision of what the future can be is hopeful and inspiring. These student groups and others call us to be our best selves. We are proud that our students continue to hold our community to its highest standards and we join them in unwavering support.
Moving forward, words cannot just be words. It is time to listen and make a plan. It is time to commit to being part of the solution. The Leavey School of Business community will work together in moving the business school from allyship to action. We can model the way, together, towards building an environment where all students - and the greater LSB community - can feel safe and supported while striving towards greatness.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, “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.” Black lives matter, and we will never be whole until we make racial justice a reality.
Sincerely,
Caryn Beck-Dudley
Leavey School of Business