In light of the recent events, Colby College’s administration should issue a statement addressing the issues surrounding the recent protest in response to the longstanding problem of white supremacy and police brutality against Black Americans in the United States. These protests have been prompted by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others. As an institution, Colby has a responsibility to properly inform and support their students. We request that this statement include:

1. AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the pain that the black community and black students at Colby are experiencing, and full recognition of the role race and racism plays in these events and the emotional strain it puts on these communities.
         A. We acknowledge that our university is not exempt from the systemic racism found in society. Racism permeates several aspects of Colby College’s campus and community; from microaggressions within the classroom and the residence halls,  to overt acts of racism in Waterville, and a history of hate targeting students of color on this campus. Our community is culpable and remaining silent further enables these racial injustices. 
2. A CONDEMNATION of white supremacy of any and all forms, and in it to acknowledge that Colby has a NO TOLERANCE policy for racism and takes the issue seriously. 
        B. Colby has a history of poorly responding to issues of race on campus and these poor responses perpetuate racism and prejudice and have often left their students of color feeling unsupported. For this reason, if the administration is truly making efforts toward improvement, then they should formally condemn white supremacy, racism, and any functions of these things.
3. A DECLARATION that will explain that Colby, as an institution seeks to educate their students on topical issues and give them the tools they need to develop their own ideologies. This declaration should set the tone for Colby’s culture moving forward, and show support for movements against hatred, prejudice, and undermining human rights. 
4. A COLLECTION of links and resources that will inform individuals on the current issues and give them ways to get involved.
       C. Colby has a powerful influence and a large reach that would ultimately have a huge impact and garner a lot of support for the cause. In other situations, Colby does not hesitate to use their influence to get support and funding for issues that they consider to be important, and this issue should be no different.  

    Given Colby’s history with racial tensions on campus, I feel that making this statement will not only show that the Colby Administration is knowledgeable and cares about recent events, but also that the institution cares about and stands with people of color on campus. 

    In issuing this statement, Colby is not only setting the tone for campus culture moving forward, but would also be utilizing their abundant resources and connections to contribute to a very important and very pressing current issue. 

    In times like these, it is important that people in leadership positions provide support, guidance, and resources. SGA and other student organizations on campus have made socially conscious statements that provided resources and support to the campus community. The administration, however, released a statement that failed to acknowledge the pain of students of color, largely focused on the opinion of President Greene, and didn’t provide any resources or places to donate. The administration should feel inclined to reach out to, inform, and support their community and take action towards achieving the diversity and inclusion that is supposed to be so core to Colby’s culture and mission. The Colby Affirmation is “Community, Integrity, Respect” and this is a time for the administration to truly show that this affirmation is valued and upheld. Members of the Colby community are hurting and now is a better time than ever for Colby to put its privilege to use.

Possible resources to include:

https://tinyurl.com/y7c2ltst