Whereas, the 2020 killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are among the most recent in the long history of violence against Black people in the United States, often at the hands of the police;
Whereas, such ongoing, brutal loss and injustice weigh unequally on our community;
Whereas, while diversity and inclusion are among Cornell’s core values, we recognize that structural racism prevents equal access to education, voice, health, opportunity, and hope;
Whereas, Cornell faculty are committed, through our research, teaching, and public engagement to upholding Cornell’s core values of being a “welcoming, caring and equitable community,”
Be it Resolved, that the Faculty Senate endorses President Pollack’s statements on May 29 and her proposed action items detailed on June 3, 2020;
Be it Further Resolved, that the Faculty Senate reaffirms its commitment to our belief in the freedom to assemble and engage in peaceful protest;
Be it Further Resolved, that the Faculty Senate stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, our Black community members, and those who are protesting racist injustice;
Be it Further Resolved, that the Faculty Senate commemorates Juneteenth, 2020, in part by rededicating ourselves to take action against individual and structural racial inequalities at Cornell and other institutions, toward a goal of achieving equal rights and social justice.
I support this revision; I helped to draft it. Here’s an explanation of the changes:
1) in keeping with the gravity of the events and the need for authentic recognition of the issues, the resolution presents the facts in its own words, no longer beginning as a quote from Martha Pollack’s statement. The importance of expressing oneself in one’s own words, of striving for authentic expression and not resorting to formalities, has been widely noted in regard to navigating these tragedies;
2) rather than first acknowledging Cornell as something that stands apart from or contradicts the realities unfolding in the news (i.e., by noting Cornell’s core values of being welcoming, caring and equitable), the revision first acknowledges the sorrow felt here, as well as the inequality that exists here; this way, it validates the reality of the injustice and trauma across the country and does not risk appearing to rush to say that we’re separate from or above it;
3) it asserts the faculty’s role of teaching and learning about the racial inequality, as distinct from possibly suggesting that the harms might be finite and readily healed;
4) it explicitly mentions freedom of assembly and protest;
5) it concludes with the senate’s own commitment to act, rather than with urging the community to act.
Joanie Mackowski
Associate Professor
English / Creative Writing