06/08/2020
is in full support of the movement and the efforts of Black students, staff, faculty, and community members. Swipe through to learn about Black-led initiatives.
Below you will find our full statement:
Students created the movement in response to systemic, emotional, physical, social, and intellectual forms of violence that have been repeatedly dismissed by administrators, faculty, and fellow peers at the University of Iowa. As an organization, we work to shed light on these injustices, public and private, through our platform in order to allow underrepresented students to speak their truth and share their experiences.
As such, we are here to publicly state: is in full support of the movement and the efforts of Black students, staff, faculty, and community members.
As a mostly non-Black group of organizers, who worked to create a movement that uplifts voices, we want to use our platform to take a step back to highlight and inform about the work of our Black peers.
1. is a hashtag, created by Kristen Young, “to give Black and Brown people the ability to have an outlet, amplify our voices, create and strengthen our communities and also (sadly) reaffirm our humanity! Please post in whatever ways you feel comfortable: videos, or written posts will work.”
2. Follow the newly created local organization Freedom Riders on Instagram (). Freedom Riders is leading change in Iowa. Following their page provides you with confirmed plans of protests in Iowa City. For more questions email: [email protected].
3. Black Student Roundtable - Monday June 8th, 2020 4-6pm
a. “A virtual round table for Black students to discuss USG advocacy in response to
police brutality and discrimination towards Black students. USG wants to provide space for Black students to engage in conversation of how we can advocate not only on our campus, but also within our Iowa City community. Topics include: police violence, University of Iowa relationship with police, and campus culture. Tabitha Wiggins, Associate Director for Multicultural and International Student Support and Engagement, will be moderating the event.”
For further information: https://www.facebook.com/events/2589680621249865/
4. Healing Spaces (for folx within the African Diaspora) - Friday, June 19th-Friday,
September 25th
a. “Ruth Kahssai, Director of Justice and Equity, UISG, and Dr. Maria Bruno,
Executive Director of Belonging and Inclusion, DSL, have created space for students, faculty and staff who identify within the African Diaspora. Our aim is to create space for open and brave conversation, to listen and share in community as we process national events, and provide a platform to hold each other up.” This space opens up on Friday, June 19th, 2020 and will continue to be held every other Friday until Friday, September 25th, 2020.
We anticipate that, in the coming days, weeks, months, etc., more organizing by Black leaders will be done and it is imperative that this organizing continues to be uplifted. We want to encourage you to spread the resources listed above widely and continue to seek information from Black-led organizations so as to not co-opt their efforts.
To all non-Black community members, anti-Blackness takes form in many ways and we ask you to take time to reflect on the ways that it manifests in your daily life. Learn to interrupt those thoughts and hold not only yourself but others accountable as well.
From George Floyd to Breonna Taylor to Nina Pop to Tony McDade to Rodney King to Sandra Bland. To all of those whose names and lives who never get named.
We want to share, as loudly as we are able, all Black Lives Matter.
