We were struck by the powerful message that I3B, our campus friends and partners, shared earlier this week. In the wake of yesterday’s verdict of accountability coupled by yet another incident of police brutality that took the life of a young Black girl, we sit with the sanctity of I3B’s invitation to take ”a moment to pause and breathe.”
We affirm I3B’s intentions and will not be offering a community healing space at this time, but will support their efforts to be available to UMBC community members needing spaces to connect with others. Many of our community members may be feeling a wide range of emotions with yesterday’s verdict. The burden and impacts of racial trauma from police brutality and white supremacy have deep roots that cannot be healed in the case of one verdict. With this in our heart and mind, Women’s Center professional staff are holding open office care and support hours next week. Community members are always invited to reach out to us to set up meetings to connect outside of these designated times by emailing womenscenter@umbc.edu or calling 410-455-2714. Additionally, we invite self-identified Women of Color to join us at the upcoming Women of Color Collective meetingthis Friday at 1:30pm.
Open Office Care and Support Hours:
Jess: Friday, April 23rd, 11am-12pm at https://umbc.webex.com/meet/jessm
Amelia: Wednesday, April 28th, 11am-2pm https://umbc.webex.com/meet/meman1
Bri: Thursday, April 29th, 12-2:pm at meet.google.com/wga-pjuf-act
A verdict was reached. We pause. We breathe. And, our work continues. We must continue to actively call out, disrupt and change the ways racism and oppression shows up in our spaces and communities to include our campus. During this time, we invite aspiring allies (including ourselves) to recommit to practices of anti-racism and disrupting anti-Blackness. We’re re-sharing the blog post (Learning to be anti-racist: Calling IN white people and non-Black people of color) that our assistant director, Amelia, wrote last summer as a reminder and call to action to our white community members as well as non-Black people of color. We’re also re-sharing our Black Lives Matter Endlessly post from last summer as a reminder to stay present to the power of truth-telling. We must turn towards the radical truth of our privileges and our complicity and our responsibility.
There is work yet to be done and we commit, as ever, to being in it with you.
With Solidarity and Hope,
The Women’s Center staff
To access I3B’s full message, visit their myUMBC page.
