In Response to Violence and Injustice Against Black Women
Breonna Taylor Heading link
The lack of accountability in the recent grand jury decision regarding the killing of Breonna Taylor by White Police officers after 194 days is emblematic of White supremacy, White fragility, and the historic and pervasive dehumanization of Black women. We join in the outrage, sadness, anger, and devastation that Breonna Taylor’s killing was deemed “justified” by our current system of justice. Violence against Black women and the absence of justice and responsibility continue to be traumatic consequences of systemic racism in our country.
We at the Counseling Center commit to continued examination of our individual and collective responsibility and the ways we participate in and perpetuate a system that allows such decisions to occur, which adds to the collective pain and exhaustion of Black community members. One concrete step we are currently taking towards this goal is actively exploring alternatives to police involvement in responding to mental health crises. We continue our work to facilitate honest and critical exploration of ways in which we perpetuate white supremacy and to identify additional actions we can take to better address the needs of Black women and our students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.