‘I am George Floyd’ – A message from Jered Pigeon
Dear Dragons,
“I am George Floyd”
As I write you today, my soul hurts. I know the personal pain that arises from systemic racism and institutional biases. As a parent my biggest worry is for the lives of our children and the pain that will be inflicted on them by no fault of their own. My heart is also heavy as over the last few weeks our very own MSUM students and community have been pouring out their tears and pain in our streets as they exercise their fundamental rights and protest peacefully. We must do better!
My father, retired Air Force, African American male born in 1937 taught me a lot in life and I am grateful. One of the biggest lessons I learned was to take accountability for my actions and keep my eyes on the goal. As I find myself in this heightened moment with you, I commit to you my unwavering service as your Campus Diversity Officer. MSUM will continue to work towards becoming a more diverse, welcoming and inclusive campus as we focus on creating equitable outcomes in learning. There will be challenges. However, a lack of action or failure is not an option and now is the time!
Please find below the “I am George Floyd” webinar link that was put together by the Indigenous Men and Men of Color workgroup and is available for anyone with a StarID. This was our first step, we have many more steps to take, and together it is my hope that we will step side-by-side in this unity journey. I applaud you for standing up for racism and systemic injustices and putting our students first. I whole-heartily believe that if we lead with our hearts, using our knowledge and skills in our lives and work, we will not only see positive resolve, we will be better!
Here is the link to the recorded webinar which is now live on MediaSpace. This is available to anyone with a StarID. https://mediaspace.minnstate.edu/media/%22I+am+George+Floyd%22+IMMOC+Webinar/1_ads9lx2c
In solidarity,
Jered Pigeon
Pronouns (he/him/his)
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Campus Diversity Officer