Letter from Black Faculty & Staff at USF
A group of employees at USF would like to share this letter. As Black faculty and staff at the University of South Florida, we are devastated by the systemic murders of Black people by police officers across the United States. We write to affirm our support for those who are protesting including USF students, staff, alumni, and faculty, who are risking their lives in order to assure a more just future for America. Even as Black communities across the US disproportionately suffer the ravages of the COVID-19 virus, we mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others who have been victims of police violence. We are painfully stricken by these deaths because we recognize that their deaths are part of the deep-seated, systemic racism and anti-blackness that has plagued America for centuries. We agree with President Currall that it is important to pause and think. And, at the same time, we know we must go much further by developing concrete anti-racist practices at USF. In addition to treating others with respect at the individual level, research (including some of the research produced by the undersigned USF faculty) reveal that targeted anti-racist policies, procedures, and an adequate grievance process must be established (or improved) to effectively address systemic racism. As Black faculty and staff, we encourage the continued support for resources at USF, especially for our students so they might be both protected against racism and educated about the overlapping, intersecting systems of inequality that shape their lives. For some of the undersigned Black faculty, the impetus for their research emerges from a context that is structured by their own experiences of racism and anti-blackness. Our presence as critically-engaged and community-oriented researchers reflects our commitment to analyzing the structural causes of inequality in order to work towards a more equitable, and caring society. In light of this, we include the following recommendations:
To conclude, we understand that any effort to eradicate racism and anti-blackness must include a commitment from all of us. As members of the USF community, we know that USF has much to celebrate including its national recognition related to the recruitment and retention rate of Black students. Beyond the numbers, however, we want to ensure that the quality of the student experience and the breadth of their knowledge equips them to see themselves as responsible, civic-minded, and anti-racist leaders in an increasingly global and diverse world. We invite students, staff, and faculty to work in solidarity with each other and with the campus community to re-imagine what Black life could and should be at USF and in the Tampa Bay community. The confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this ongoing racial crisis, and the USF campus consolidation process is a moment when we can collectively mourn, listen and hear each other, and, at the same time, actively work to implement a new and bolder vision of Black life at USF, in the United States, and across the world more broadly. Signed The undersigned 88 USF Black employees (including both faculty and staff) Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Sociology Cheryl Rodriguez, Africana Studies, SIGS Aisha Durham, Communication Maya Trotz, Civil & Environmental Engineering Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Educational and Psychological Studies Fenda A. Akiwumi, Director, Institute on Black Life/Professor, School of Geosciences Antoinette Jackson Kristofer Newsome, President - USF Black Faculty and Staff Association A’Naja M. Newsome, Recreation and Wellness & PhD Student in College of Education Adetola Louis-Jacques OBGYN Aleatha Neal, ABA-CFS Alexis Mootoo, Ph.D. - Office of Student Success, School of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies, Humanities, Muma College of Business Alicia Best, College of Public Health Allyson L. Nixon Althea Blake, Ed.D., TRiO Student Support Services Alyssa Brown, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Anissa McKenzie, Office of Clinical Research Anthea Henderson, Undergraduate Studies Ashley Metelus, Department of Medical Education Bianca Johnson, Sociology Candace Henry, Office of Financial Aid Cassandra Thomas, College of Behavorial & Community Sciences Cecil Howard, AVP, Diversity, Inclusion, & Equal Opportunity (DIEO) Chandra Davis/UGS Chris Simmons, School of Social Work Christopher Alexander Darren L. Gambrell, Black Faculty and Staff Association, Office of Student Services Dawn Brown, School of Social Work Demeda Allen, RM, College of Engineering Denelta Adderley Henry, USFSP HR Denise Davis-Cotton, Director, USF Center for PAInT Denise R Barnes, CBCS/CFS/CARD Devona F. Pierre, DIEO Dominique King, Academic Space and Course Management Earl Conteh-Morgan, Professor, SIGS. Edward Kissi, Africana Studies, SIGS Elyse Lewis, USF IT UX Researcher, Black Faculty & Staff Association Marketing Lead, Secretary, and Mentor Eryka Marshall, LMHC Mental Health Law & Policy Fai Howard, Undergraduate Studies Frank Pyrtle III, Mechanical Engineering Gary Oliver, Office of Graduate Studies Geveryl Robinson, Verbal and Visual Arts Guitele J Rahill, Ph.D., LCSW USF School of Social Work Henrick Jeanty, Computer Science and Engineering Jacqueline Wiltshire, COPH Jason Axford, LMHC - USF Counseling Center Jessica Turpin, MPH, USF School of Social Work John N. Gathegi, School of Information Jonathan Gaines, Mechanical Engineering Department Joseph W. Dorsey, Ph.D., Patel College of Global Sustainability Karen Edwards, RM, College of Engineering Kateka "Kae" Riggins, Student Life & Engagement Katina Lowery Khary Rigg Kimberly Brown, Black Faculty & Staff Association Kingsley A. Reeves, Jr., Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Kokita Dirton Wilson, Office of Graduate Studies Kyaien O. Conner, Mental Health Law and Policy LaTosha Thomas, Ph.D., SSS/UGS Lisa M. Knight, MS, CBCS-Florida Center for Inclusive Communities, USF Black Faculty and Staff Association Luanna Prevost, Integrative Biology McArthur Freeman, College of the Arts Micah Johnson MHLP Michelle Madden, Ed.D., Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment Michon Shaw, USF, CSD, ASL Interpreter Training & Deaf Studies Monica Landers, USF Department of Child and Family Studies Reba Garth, Student Support Services/UGS Reginald Joseph Rene` Anderson CBCS Department of Child and Family Studies Ronee E. Wilson, COPH Roxanne Watson, Mass Communications Ruby Joseph, Department of Child and Family Studies-CBCS Ryan Watson, Mass Communications Sandra Jones, CBCS Deans Office/Criminology Schinnel Small, CSE Selecia Watson, CBCS-Florida Center for Inclusive Communities Stephanie L. Williams, Ph.D. Office of the Provost & Executive Vice President Stephanie Lovelace, Civil and Environmental Engineering Sylvia Thomas, Electrical Engineering Taja Sumpter, MPA, Department of Child and Family Studies Telisha McKenzie, Florida Center for Inclusive Communities Tempestt Neal, Computer Science and Engineering |
This letter specifically speaks to our university leadership. June 8, 2020 Dear President Currall: As Black employees at the University of South Florida, we are devastated by the systemic murders of Black people by police officers across the United States. We write to affirm our support for those who are protesting including USF students, staff, alumni, and faculty, who are risking their lives in order to assure a more just future for America. Even as Black communities across the U.S. disproportionately suffer the ravages of the COVID-19 virus, we mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others who have been victims of police violence and whose perpetrators have still not been held accountable. We are painfully stricken by these deaths because we recognize that their deaths are part of the deep-seated, systemic racism and anti-blackness that has plagued America for centuries. We agree with you, President Currall, that it is important to pause and think. And, at the same time, we know we must go much further by developing concrete anti-racist practices at USF. In addition to treating others with respect at the individual level, research (including some of the research produced by the undersigned USF faculty) reveal that targeted anti-racist policies, procedures, and an adequate grievance process must be established (or improved) to effectively address systemic racism. As Black faculty and staff, we encourage the continued support for resources at USF, especially for our students so they might be both protected against racism and educated about the overlapping, intersecting systems of inequality that shape their lives. For some of the undersigned Black faculty, the impetus for their research emerges from a context that is structured by their own experiences of racism and anti-blackness. Our presence as critically- engaged and community-oriented researchers reflects our commitment to analyzing the structural causes of inequality in order to work towards a more equitable, and caring society. In light of this, we include the following recommendations:
To conclude, we understand that any effort to eradicate racism and anti-blackness must include a commitment from all of us. As members of the USF community, we know that USF has much to celebrate including its national recognition related to the recruitment and retention rate of Black students. Beyond the numbers, however, we want to ensure that the quality of the student experience and the breadth of their knowledge equips them to see themselves as responsible, civic-minded, and anti-racist leaders in an increasingly global and diverse world. We invite students, staff, and faculty to work in solidarity with each other and with the campus community to re-imagine what Black life could and should be at USF and in the Tampa Bay community. The confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this ongoing racial crisis, and the USF campus consolidation process is a moment when we can collectively mourn, listen and hear each other, and, at the same time, actively work to implement a new and bolder vision of Black life at USF, in the United States, and across the world more broadly. Sincerely, The undersigned 88 USF Black employees (including both faculty and staff) Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Sociology Cheryl Rodriguez, Africana Studies, SIGS Aisha Durham, Communication Maya Trotz, Civil & Environmental Engineering Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Educational and Psychological Studies Fenda A. Akiwumi, Director, Institute on Black Life/Professor, School of Geosciences Antoinette Jackson Kristofer Newsome, President - USF Black Faculty and Staff Association A’Naja M. Newsome, Recreation and Wellness & PhD Student in College of Education Adetola Louis-Jacques OBGYN Aleatha Neal, ABA-CFS Alexis Mootoo, Ph.D. - Office of Student Success, School of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies, Humanities, Muma College of Business Alicia Best, College of Public Health Allyson L. Nixon Althea Blake, Ed.D., TRiO Student Support Services Alyssa Brown, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Anissa McKenzie, Office of Clinical Research Anthea Henderson, Undergraduate Studies Ashley Metelus, Department of Medical Education Bianca Johnson, Sociology Candace Henry, Office of Financial Aid Cassandra Thomas, College of Behavorial & Community Sciences Cecil Howard, AVP, Diversity, Inclusion, & Equal Opportunity (DIEO) Chandra Davis/UGS Chris Simmons, School of Social Work Christopher Alexander Darren L. Gambrell, Black Faculty and Staff Association, Office of Student Services Dawn Brown, School of Social Work Demeda Allen, RM, College of Engineering Denelta Adderley Henry, USFSP HR Denise Davis-Cotton, Director, USF Center for PAInT Denise R Barnes, CBCS/CFS/CARD Devona F. Pierre, DIEO Dominique King, Academic Space and Course Management Earl Conteh-Morgan, Professor, SIGS. Edward Kissi, Africana Studies, SIGS Elyse Lewis, USF IT UX Researcher, Black Faculty & Staff Association Marketing Lead, Secretary, and Mentor Eryka Marshall, LMHC Mental Health Law & Policy Fai Howard, Undergraduate Studies Frank Pyrtle III, Mechanical Engineering Gary Oliver, Office of Graduate Studies Geveryl Robinson, Verbal and Visual Arts Guitele J Rahill, Ph.D., LCSW USF School of Social Work Henrick Jeanty, Computer Science and Engineering Jacqueline Wiltshire, COPH Jason Axford, LMHC - USF Counseling Center Jessica Turpin, MPH, USF School of Social Work John N. Gathegi, School of Information Jonathan Gaines, Mechanical Engineering Department Joseph W. Dorsey, Ph.D., Patel College of Global Sustainability Karen Edwards, RM, College of Engineering Kateka "Kae" Riggins, Student Life & Engagement Katina Lowery Khary Rigg Kimberly Brown, Black Faculty & Staff Association Kingsley A. Reeves, Jr., Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Kokita Dirton Wilson, Office of Graduate Studies Kyaien O. Conner, Mental Health Law and Policy LaTosha Thomas, Ph.D., SSS/UGS Lisa M. Knight, MS, CBCS-Florida Center for Inclusive Communities, USF Black Faculty and Staff Association Luanna Prevost, Integrative Biology McArthur Freeman, College of the Arts Micah Johnson MHLP Michelle Madden, Ed.D., Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment Michon Shaw, USF, CSD, ASL Interpreter Training & Deaf Studies Monica Landers, USF Department of Child and Family Studies Reba Garth, Student Support Services/UGS Reginald Joseph Rene` Anderson CBCS Department of Child and Family Studies Ronee E. Wilson, COPH Roxanne Watson, Mass Communications Ruby Joseph, Department of Child and Family Studies-CBCS Ryan Watson, Mass Communications Sandra Jones, CBCS Deans Office/Criminology Schinnel Small, CSE Selecia Watson, CBCS-Florida Center for Inclusive Communities Stephanie L. Williams, Ph.D. Office of the Provost & Executive Vice President Stephanie Lovelace, Civil and Environmental Engineering Sylvia Thomas, Electrical Engineering Taja Sumpter, MPA, Department of Child and Family Studies Telisha McKenzie, Florida Center for Inclusive Communities Tempestt Neal, Computer Science and Engineering |