The life of George Floyd matters. The lives of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the reported and unreported people who came before them matter. Black lives matter. Violence perpetrated against the Black community by police, those in authority, or others is unacceptable. Black lives matter to their families, their communities, and the nation. We at the Student Counseling Center are deeply saddened and angry at the events in our country. We are critically examining the ways that we can improve ourselves and work to dismantle institutional racism. Our staff would like to share with you what we have been reading, listening to, watching, and doing as part of this work.
The Student Counseling Center stands with our leadership in supporting antiracism, and we encourage you to read the statements from our Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Student Life, Diversity and Engagement, and UT Athletics:
Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas
Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement Tyvi Small
UT Athletics Coaches Unified Statement
Some Knoxville area social justice organizations:
SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) – Knoxville
Black Lives Matter – Knoxville