UNF students, alumni, staff, and faculty:

Ospreys! As a testament to our collective commitment to opposing racism and promoting the health, safety, and well-being of our community, please sign this petition demanding that UNF prohibit any on-campus Republican National Convention (RNC) activities connected with President Trump’s August visit to Jacksonville. For the past several months, President Trump has refused to take responsibility in leading the public health campaign to combat the coronavirus pandemic that has so far claimed over 120,000 American lives; indeed, he has actively undermined the response, encouraging supporters to scorn masks and distancing protocols. The Trump campaign’s decision to relocate the president’s nomination acceptance speech from North Carolina to Florida was spurred by his unwillingness to respect the public health measures instituted by Governor Cooper and local officials. But Covid-19 is not the only crisis this country is facing; discriminatory policing and systemic racism have ignited a painful and necessary reckoning in communities across the nation. In this context, the blatantly divisive and overtly white nationalist rhetoric and policies of the current administration constitute an especially bitter mockery of the values set forth in UNF’s “Statement of Unity”: “We strongly condemn acts of hate and bigotry as antithetical to the university’s core values of mutual respect and civility.”  As concerned members of the UNF community who believe firmly in UNF’s mission, we are resolved that the university must do its part to stem the rising pandemic of hate that threatens to undermine the social and cultural fabric of our nation, even as we combat the lethal spread of the coronavirus and protect our school community.
 
This president has consistently promoted and amplified that “hate and bigotry” without regard for the damage inflicted on marginalized communities and on our democracy itself. His administration and its enablers have actively sought to disenfranchise voters of color, poison the well of national discourse, subvert the rule of law, and prop up industries that are making Earth uninhabitable for future generations. UNF must not host an organization whose platform is built upon utter disregard for the public interest and whose nominee has proven himself inimical to our core values: pursuit of truth and knowledge, ethical conduct, diversity, responsibility to the natural environment, mutual respect and civility (as enumerated in UNF’s Mission and Vision statement).
 
This is not a question of suppressing Constitutionally-protected speech and freedom of expression; it is a mandate to protect our diverse student body, staff, and faculty from the hate-mongering, incendiary abuse of a man who has weaponized fear and discrimination against every vulnerable community for political gain. Nor is it a matter of political ideology or symbolism. Given President Trump’s divisiveness and the historic levels of unrest in the country, there is a very real possibility that his visit to Jacksonville—an unnecessary event foisted on Duval County citizens by leaders hoping to curry favor with an incumbent—could result in bloodshed. This is an urgent petition. We must choose not to tolerate those who would harm our students, our community members, and ourselves through language and actions.
 
Even absent the divisive, dehumanizing politics of Trump and the RNC, it would be grossly irresponsible for UNF to allow any large outside group to utilize our campus spaces as Covid-19 continues to spread. The virus itself has taken a disproportionate and deadly impact on the same minority communities that Trump has targeted politically—communities to which many of our students, staff, and families belong; further, our wider UNF community includes a significant number of at-risk students, staff, and faculty. An ill-considered decision to host any RNC-related on-campus event could help accelerate the spread of this deadly virus just as we are working to welcome students back and establish new protocols that will make our learning environment as safe as possible. It is time to reassure our students, faculty, and families that we will prioritize the social, intellectual, and physical health of our community, and strive to build the unity that will allow us to meet these challenging times together.