Mary Frances Early College of Education statement on the outcome of the trial of the officer who killed George Floyd

The guilty verdict in the trial of the officer who killed George Floyd offered a sense of relief and a sense of hope for many. Simultaneously, many are struck by the incredible confluence of events that led to the conviction—multiple cell phone videos, traffic cameras, protests, testimony from police officers, and the extraordinarily brutal 9+ minutes that led to the death of George Floyd. It is fine to hold both of these thoughts at the same time. Yes, we’ve made a small step toward progress, but we have a very long way to go to get anywhere close to using the word “justice” to describe how people of color are treated in this country as evidenced by the fact that nearly 200 people of color have been killed by police in the U.S. since George Floyd’s death less than a year ago.

We recognize the emotional impact of the trial and the reoccurring trauma from witnessing and being reminded of the Black lives lost. We acknowledge that the trauma seems never-ending for our Black students, staff, faculty, and community members who regularly face racial discrimination, must help their families and communities process the trauma, and often bear the responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Please take time to care for yourselves in the days and weeks ahead.

We in the Mary Frances Early College of Education remain committed to racial justice until we see true liberation. We will continue to take action that leads to transformative change and encourage you to reflect on your individual and departmental commitments. We commit to continue to do the work to build a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and psychologically safe community for all in the College. We recognize that this will take the individual and collective work of all of us and are mindful that we cannot expect our Black colleagues to lead all of this work.

We conclude with resources to help you process racial trauma, explore racial healing, engage in conversations with children, and serve as an ally to the Black community.