Dear students and Shenandoah community members,
At Shenandoah, our goal is always to educate and inspire you to be critical, reflective thinkers and ethical, compassionate citizens. With such aims at the heart of the Shenandoah community, we understand that you may be processing a wide variety of concerns related to the deaths of several Black Americans (George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others) that have occurred in recent months. In some cases, these deaths have been captured by harrowing videos, shared extensively through social media and news outlets, and the reaction to Floyd’s death following a police encounter has led to protests in cities across the nation.
Painful feelings, magnified by such events, are difficult to explore. Understanding this, Shenandoah is providing you with an open space in which to process the news cycle and discuss ways in which we can move forward.
Please join us at noon on Tuesday, June 2, by Zoom, for “What Now? Processing Racial Injustice and Discovering Ways to Make Change.” This forum will be hosted by PRIDE co-chairs Michele Pye, Ph.D. and Maggie McCampbell Lien and will begin with reflections from members of our campus community. (Zoom: https://su.zoom.us/j/96280819297)
This forum will be hosted by PRIDE co-chairs Michele Pye, Ph.D. and Maggie McCampbell Lien and will begin with reflections from the following members of our campus community.
- De’Angelo Wynn, SGA President
- Hakeem Leonard, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy
- Nate Tabourn, Assistant Director of Student Services
- Christin Taylor, Assistant Professor of English
All are welcome at this event. If you would like to raise a specific question or topic for discussion, please fill out the What Now? Google Form.
And, if you’re looking for additional resources, a comprehensive list is available at www.su.edu/racialjustice.
As a member of the Shenandoah community, you are encouraged to fully participate in the creation and dissemination of knowledge, culture, and experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom. If you need to talk, know that we are always here to listen — at this event or at any time. Your voice is vital, valued, and truly, an agent of change.
Yours in hope for better days,
Michele Pye, Ph.D.
Associate Director of the Performing Arts Medicine Program and Assistant Professor of Athletic TrainingMaggie McCampbell Lien
Mosaic Center Director and Director of Inclusion and DiversityCo-Chairs, President’s Representatives for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (PRIDE)
