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Voices that Cut Through the Noise

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Ann Ayers

Dean, Colorado Women's College

News  •

Dear CWC Community,Ìý

Ìý

The last ten days in America once again warn us that racism, if not eradicated, will cause undue harm to our fellow citizens, rip us apart as a nation, and eventually topple our democracy. Will we listen?

YES.Ìý

AÌýwhiteÌýman kneeling on aÌýblack man’sÌýneck is not just oneÌýkneeÌýon one neck. It’s the weight of centuries of oppression, evisceratingÌýtheÌýlives of Black people, through physical violence, economic violence, and social violence. It’s the manifestation of an entrenched racist and patriarchal system. It’s what happens in a culture that has far too long assumed that the person under the knee aloneÌýbears theÌýresponsibility of moving the knee. But, George FloydÌýdecimated that assumption when he cried, “I can’t breathe.â€� We are listening and we hear you, Mr. Floyd.ÌýYours is a cry we commit to amplify and address through our work at the Colorado Women’sÌýCollege.Ìý

We will dig deeper and ask ourselves what more we can do.ÌýWe will begin with empathy as we convene courageous conversations to change beliefs and behaviors, including our own.ÌýWeÌýwillÌýact in concert withÌýstudents, faculty, staff, alums, partners and friends to hammer away at organizational systems, community structures, political systems, and social constructs.ÌýWe will own our identities and experiencesÌýasÌýwe approach the work ahead with humility, curiosity, courage and persistence.ÌýWe will inspire hearts and minds and motivate a united community to dismantle, destroy and rebuild in the image of an equitable world.

At CWC, weÌýbelieveÌýequityÌýis in reach - not just in our students’Ìýlifetimes, but in our own. For over 500 years, this country has been waiting for the generation that putsÌýanÌýend to racism and inequity. To that we say, in solidarity,Ìý“Us. Now.â€�

Ìý

Ann Ayers

Dean, Colorado Women’s College

Ìý

I offer this message from the hearts andÌýmindsÌýof our entire team at CWC, with whom I am grateful and honored to work each and every day.Ìý

#equityis #blacklivesmatter #silenceisviolence #cwc

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