Dear GoldShirt community,
Mary and I are writing today to acknowledge the immense pain, anger, despair and sadness that communities are feeling, especially Black communities and communities of color, in response to the violent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. These are just some of the most recent acts of violence in the long history of oppression of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in this country and around the world.
We, the staff supporting the GoldShirt Program, acknowledge that these events can bring many challenging emotions—and we want you to know that we support you and value you just as you are. We encourage you to care for yourselves, each other, and your communities during this time. If you would like to connect with members of the GoldShirt or BOLD Center staff, or access CU campus support resources, please know that we are here for you.
It is important that we reinforce that our program, our college, and our university condemn all acts of racism and racist violence. As white people, Mary and I know we cannot fully understand the ways communities of color are being impacted by these events. We want you to know that we acknowledge the historic and systemic racial oppression and inequities that impact communities of color in visible and unseen ways and are committed to creating a world that is socially just by continuing to learn so that together we can take action.
In the last few days and in the weeks to come, the university, our college, and the BOLD Center have begun and will continue sharing resources for support and collective action. We encourage you to read interim Dean Keith Molenaar’s June 2 message and Director of Inclusive Culture Amy Moreno’s June 3 message to the college where she shared a number of valuable resources for taking action. There will be more spaces for coming together, for dialogue, for learning and for taking action. I urge you to find the opportunities that are right for you as we work together to stand against racism and anti-Blackness and to create a world and future that we all deserve.
If you have any questions, comments, or want to talk with a staff member, please email us at Philip.Courey@colorado.edu and Mary.Spirio@colorado.edu.
Sincerely,
Mary Spirio
Assistant Director, GoldShirt Program
Philip Courey
Assistant Director, GoldShirt Program