May 24, 2021
Subject: George Floyd – A Message from President Clark and Provost Ismaili
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. We stand with Mr. Floyd’s family in mourning his passing, and we reaffirm our support of Black Lives Matter. Furthermore, we recommit to living up to our highest ideal of ministering unto all members of our community, without exception.
The excruciating and reprehensible nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of violence that led to his death will forever be seared into our memories. While the police officer directly responsible for Mr. Floyd’s death was convicted on all counts, and others will soon face justice, this tragedy, like so many others that have been endured by Black Americans throughout this nation’s history, demonstrates how far we are from living up to America’s self-evident truth that all are created equal.
While we are inspired by the courageous actions of millions of protesters across our country, including many from our own community, it should not take extraordinary acts of callous violence to secure the right to be treated with basic human dignity. Now is the time to come to grips with the need for systemic change throughout all of our social institutions as a way to prevent racial injustice. Each of us has an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that change takes place, that the work for justice is ongoing and that equity and dignity are, indeed, rights.
Sincerely,
Frederick W. Clark Jr., Esq.
President, Bridgewater State University
Karim Ismaili, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs