Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racism Resources

A RESOLUTION of the El Camino College Academic Senate to declare that the lives of Black students matter;

WHEREAS, the El Camino College Academic Senate acknowledges the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and too many others; and

WHEREAS, these deaths are part of a long legacy of racial oppression and discrimination in this country and are indicative of a socio-economic divide that continues to grow and threatens the current and future well-being of our students of color; and

WHEREAS, we express solidarity with the thousands of protesters in Minnesota and throughout the nation who are peacefully expressing their outrage and frustration at the deaths of unarmed African Americans; and

WHEREAS, the killings of unarmed Black men, women, *trans men, and *trans women, have left our students searching for answers to incredibly complicated and infuriating questions; and

WHEREAS, schools should be places for the practice and enforcement of equity, for the building of understanding, creation of knowledge, and for the active engagement of all in creating pathways to freedom and justice for all people; and WHEREAS, the El Camino College Academic Senate will seek to address institutional racism on our campus and to offer spaces for dialogue among teaching faculty, counseling faculty, adjunct faculty, classified professionals, and staff by supporting and facilitating professional development work related to race and other challenging topics; and

WHEREAS, the El Camino College Academic Senate upholds the ideals of equal justice under the law, racial justice, and human dignity for all of our students;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the El Camino College Academic Senate declares that the lives of our Black students matter; and affirms the rights of Black students, staff, faculty, and administrators to be treated with respect and dignity within schools and communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the El Camino College Academic Senate encourages faculty across disciplines and content areas to specifically include in their curricula materials that address topics of racial bias, systemic racism (both historically and contemporarily), and racial stereotypes that are present in different vocations and fields of study; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that El Camino College Academic Senate invites faculty across disciplines and content areas to use resources that are inclusive of all of our diverse learners to enrich instruction throughout the whole year, not just one week or one month; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the El Camino College Academic Senate will stand in solidarity with students who lead non-violent on-campus demonstrations and other educational events related to systemic and institutional racism; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the El Camino College Academic Senate encourages ongoing critical reflection and for staff, faculty and administrators to have difficult and honest conversations concerning systemic racism, social injustice, racial and ethnic bias.

Adopted unanimously this 2nd day of June, 2020 by the El Camino College Academic Senate.