A STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER
The Carolina Latinx Center condemns the continued acts of violence by the police against Black people. We stand in solidarity and are deeply affected by the recent events taking place in our country. We stand with all those who raise their voices under the inclusive and dignity-affirming banner of “Black Lives Matter.” We affirm that the lives of Black boys, such as Tamir Rice killed while playing in a park in Cleveland, OH, matter. The lives of Black women, such as Breonna Taylor, who was asleep in her bed when police entered her home and killed her in Louisville, KY, matter. The lives of Black immigrants, such as Donovan Grant—who led a hunger strike during the COVID-19 crisis while detained at Mesa Verde Detention Facility, in Bakersfield, CA, matter. The lives of Black men, such as George Floyd, killed by the police, matter. Their unjustified deaths highlight the issues of racial injustice and police brutality. We strongly condemn the actions, as well as the inaction, of the four officers responsible for Mr. Floyd’s murder, and all forms of police brutality including violence at the hands of vigilantes.
The Carolina Latinx Center stands with and supports our students, employees, colleagues, and friends in the Black community in this time of grief, pain, anger, sadness, and frustration while facing the historical and contemporary reality of racism and inequality in our country. As we express our outrage at the current unjust and unacceptable reality, our hope is to help unite our Carolina community by providing platforms for socially responsible perspectives and by contributing resources for action and social change.
The Carolina Latinx Center will be reflecting on our own organizational mission, structure, policies, culture, and programs to identify ways in which we support or fail to support members of the Black Community, including our Afro-Latinx community and any other intersecting identities. We know we have a lot of work to do, but we are committed to doing our part to reach racial justice. The immigrant community, many of whom are Black, is composed of many nationalities and ethnicities. As our immigrant community awaits the Supreme Court decision on the rescission or revocation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) this month, we will continue to be inspired by what we are witnessing around the country since George Floyd’s murder.
In solidarity,
The Carolina Latinx Center Advisory Board
Paul Cuadros – Board Chair
Associate Professor, Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Dr. María DeGuzmán
Professor, Founding Director of The UNC Latina/o Studies Program, UNC English and Comparative Literature
Dr. Luiz A. Pimenta
Professor in Prosthodontics, Division of Comprehensive Oral Health, UNC Adams School of Dentistry
Mario Marzan
Associate Professor of Art, UNC Department of Art and Art History
Steve Agostini
Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Budget, UNC – Chapel Hill
Maribel Carrion
Executive Director for Student Administration in Information Technology Services, UNC – Chapel Hill
Veronica Flaspoehler
Vice President Enterpriser Risk Senior Manager
Judith Montenegro
Program Director, Latinos in the Deep South and Latino Commission on AIDS.
Josmell Perez
Director, Carolina Latinx Center