May 31, 2020

Dear SRJC Community, 

We, as the Women’s History Month Committee, stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and all those who are victims of or fight against racism and discrimination. We stand in solidarity with SRJC students, staff, and faculty of color who deal with institutionalized and overt racism day in and day out. As those who parent children of color do every day, we fear for the lives of people of color who could be targeted randomly by law enforcement, vigilantes or “well-meaning” ordinary White folks, who do not know how to peacefully co-exist with people of color. We demand action against the horrendous acts of murder and mistreatment of Black and Brown people that is occurring daily in our country. We demand a stop to this violence and racism that has been haunting our past and is threatening our present and future. We condemn the persistent culture of violence and White supremacy in the United States that has existed since its founding, and the institutionalized, systemic racism that is allowing individuals to abuse the power given to them. We demand institutionalized action and a systemic fight against injustice in all its forms. We demand better access to education, health care, legal protections, and economic opportunities for all people. As Civil Rights leader Ella Baker said: “Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers’ sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a White mother’s son - we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.” We ask that members of the SRJC community step into this commitment with us – the commitment to listen, to think about our everyday practices critically, and to act together to rid our communities of systemic injustice.

On behalf of the Women's History Month Committee, 
Solen Sanli Vasquez, Ph.D.
Sociology Instructor
Co-Coordinator, WHM Calendar 
Department of Behavioral Sciences
Santa Rosa Junior College