Photo by: Columbia University
6/1/2020 3:10:00 PM | General
Columbia Athletics Director Peter Pilling sent the following memo to student-athletes Monday regarding social injustice.
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE WAS SENT FROM CAMPBELL FAMILY DIRECTOR OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PETER PILLING TO STUDENT-ATHLETES REGARDING THE RECENT EVENTS OF SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Over the past several weeks, all of us have seen and read the news about the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Sadly, these are only a few examples of those who have lost their lives due to racial biases, police brutality and social injustice. It should not have taken these recent tragic events to get to this point, but now, more than ever, we need to come together as a University, as an athletics department, and as a society to make sure more precious lives are not lost.
One of the great aspects of working at or attending Columbia is the education we receive outside the classroom. Every year, we come together as a group that is racially, economically and geographically diverse. I, as many others, have no way to fully understand the frustration, fear and outrage that our Black student-athletes and community are feeling. But we have an incredible opportunity to become better at listening, creating safe environments and gaining respect for others with the ultimate goal of making our community a better place. And, in turn, making us better people and positive contributors to society.
That being said, we encourage any and all of our student-athletes who feel the need to peacefully protest to do so. Racism and social injustice have no place in our community, or in our world. The right to peacefully protest to express your desire for change is part of our core American values. However, the welfare of every member of our Columbia community remains paramount. Please ensure your safety above all else when protesting. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, or as part of a protest that has turned violent, we urge you to go home or to a place of safety. I cannot reiterate how important each individual's safety is to all of us.
As an athletics department, we condemn the unjust treatment of Black Americans. Enough is enough. We will hold discussions with leadership from our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee on how best to educate and empower our community to raise awareness among our student-athletes, coaches and administrators and try to bring about meaningful change. We will also facilitate a forum for open conversation on social injustice within our Columbia Athletics community.
How we can take action:
Color of Change – sign the petition
Wecantbreathenational.org – sign the petition
NAACP.org – education resources and sign the petition
Change.org – sign the petition
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund – donate to the official fund for George Floyd
Resources:
National Museum of African American History and Culture "Talking About Race" Web Portal
The 1619 Project, The New York Times Magazine
Article by Natasha Cloud – The Players' Tribune
The Players' Tribune (search "racism" and "racist" for content from different athletes across sports)
Over the past several weeks, all of us have seen and read the news about the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Sadly, these are only a few examples of those who have lost their lives due to racial biases, police brutality and social injustice. It should not have taken these recent tragic events to get to this point, but now, more than ever, we need to come together as a University, as an athletics department, and as a society to make sure more precious lives are not lost.
One of the great aspects of working at or attending Columbia is the education we receive outside the classroom. Every year, we come together as a group that is racially, economically and geographically diverse. I, as many others, have no way to fully understand the frustration, fear and outrage that our Black student-athletes and community are feeling. But we have an incredible opportunity to become better at listening, creating safe environments and gaining respect for others with the ultimate goal of making our community a better place. And, in turn, making us better people and positive contributors to society.
That being said, we encourage any and all of our student-athletes who feel the need to peacefully protest to do so. Racism and social injustice have no place in our community, or in our world. The right to peacefully protest to express your desire for change is part of our core American values. However, the welfare of every member of our Columbia community remains paramount. Please ensure your safety above all else when protesting. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, or as part of a protest that has turned violent, we urge you to go home or to a place of safety. I cannot reiterate how important each individual's safety is to all of us.
As an athletics department, we condemn the unjust treatment of Black Americans. Enough is enough. We will hold discussions with leadership from our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee on how best to educate and empower our community to raise awareness among our student-athletes, coaches and administrators and try to bring about meaningful change. We will also facilitate a forum for open conversation on social injustice within our Columbia Athletics community.
How we can take action:
Color of Change – sign the petition
Wecantbreathenational.org – sign the petition
NAACP.org – education resources and sign the petition
Change.org – sign the petition
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund – donate to the official fund for George Floyd
Resources:
National Museum of African American History and Culture "Talking About Race" Web Portal
The 1619 Project, The New York Times Magazine
Article by Natasha Cloud – The Players' Tribune
The Players' Tribune (search "racism" and "racist" for content from different athletes across sports)
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