Hi everyone. A lot has happened since I first started this petition in Summer 2020. Our work has managed to reach over 5,700 people both on campus and within the community: that's over 57% of the student population, which is absolutely amazing to think about. In addition to Villanova's own campus, people have sent me links to similar petitions that took off last year at campuses such as Franklin & Marshall and Ottawa University. As we all found out, I'm beyond excited to declare victory in this pursuit; the Aequitas Initiative was released by Father Peter, which involved the creation of a mandatory Race & Justice course. The pilot program is currently running during the Fall 2021 semester; one of my dear friends is in the class, and has said that it's "lifechanging". The program will become widespread during the 2022-2023 school year. Such a change would not have been possible without all of your hard work over the past year through placing pressure on Villanova administration to take this first step into making the university an anti-racist institution. I have to thank Rachelle Potente for her work in collaborating to make this possible, the various cultural organizations and cultural fraternities & sororities involved with spreading this, and the Nova Nationer Instagram account for helping this petition achieve the success that it's had. As an alum, my parting advice to those who see this small victory is to keep putting pressure on Villanova to make it the campus you want it to be. When people resist against your passion and fervor for change, even among the highest levels, stay steadfast and standing strong: your brightness intimidates those who choose to live in the dark. To all of the people of color, LGBTQ+, and gender minorities on campus, please know you always have a friend in me if you struggle. I love you all; thank you for everything.