Statement by Yves Salomon-Fernandez
”Earlier this year, our College adopted the following as our revised vision statement: “GCC aspires to be an agent for a more equitable, just, vibrant, and resilient world through education.’ The brutal death of George Floyd was a reminder of the systematic racism, among other forms of injustice, that we committed to work harder to eradicate. As educators, we recognize that change starts with each of us, with understanding colleagues who are different from us, with acknowledging that our students’ circumstances and experiences affect how they relate to us and predict their probability of succeeding in our courses and completing college. Most importantly, the classroom and the college campus create opportunities to challenge learned biases and behaviors, to learn about the untold histories, to discover oneself and learn about others. Higher education provides an opportunity to open doors, open minds, and open hearts.
Since last week, our community has been digging deep into what we can do individually and collectively, how we can hold ourselves and each other accountable. We are committed to doing the hard work of venturing into and holding those moments of discomfort. For many of us, these are fleeting moments; for many of our students and colleagues, these moments define their daily existence.”
-Yves Salomon-Fernandez, Ph.D.
Provided by Greenfield Community College:
