Over the past few weeks, various University of Arizona affiliated organizations and individuals have released statements regarding the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests. We’ve compiled these statements below in reverse-chronological order.
RELATED: Peaceful protesters engage in March For Justice rally on UA Mall
June 10: UA Graduate Coalition
UA’s graduate coalition released another statement to their twitter calling on the UA to take action, citing multiple racist incidents on campus including the treatment of the “Arizona 3” and a black student who was assaulted on campus last year.
“We challenge the University of Arizona to be accountable and to take initiative to put substantive commitments into practice,” the coalition said. “We call on the administration at the University of Arizona and on the Arizona Board of Regents to take concrete measures toward dismantling systems of oppression and violence on the University of Arizona campus and in our broader community.”
June 10: Adalberto and Ana Guerrero Student Center
The Guerrero center released a statement on Instagram supporting the black community and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Most importantly, we must speak up when we hear folks making anti-Black comments, or when we see injustices happening, regardless of whether it is a classmate, roommate, friend, or even your mom or your abuelita,” the center said.
June 5: LGBTQ Affairs
Jen Hoefle Olson, director of LGTBQ affairs, urged the community in a listserv email to acknowledge the Stonewall Uprising, which protested police violence directed toward the LGBTQ+ community, especially among queer and trans people of color.
“Let’s honor this Pride Month by taking responsibility for educating ourselves about systemic racism and what we can do to help effect meaningful change,” Olson said.
June 4: African American Student Affairs
“All Black folx deserve life without the trauma that we have each experienced witnessing the death of Black people filmed without real consequences or change,” AASA said on their Instagram. The post also included a call to action urging education, donation, listening to black leaders and protecting black lives.
June 4: Women and Gender Resource Center
“We join the thousands of people grieving, uprising and enraged at the deaths of Black trans, queer, women, men and children,” the WGRC said in a statement on Instagram.
The statement also acknowledged that the university rests on Tohono O’odham land and said, “we need to acknowledge that we are complicit in state violence.”
June 4: Residence Hall Association
RHA said in a statement on Instagram they are in “full support” of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We call on you all to utilize your voices and platforms to raise awareness, become a catalyst for change, and take action in these times of social injustice,” they said, along with educational resources.
June 4: ZonaZoo
ZonaZoo said they want to use their platform to speak out against racism in a statement posted to Instagram.
“We must stay informed and educate ourselves about the underlying issues of deeply rooted systemic racism plaguing our society,” the statement said.
June 3: UA President Dr. Robert C. Robbins
In his statement, Robbins said he was “sickened” by the footage of Floyd’s death and we should collectively advocate for civil, educational, economic and healthcare justice for the black community.
“Compassion, integrity and inclusion can help us move forward, and demand better,” Robbins said. “As a community, we must challenge ourselves to do more to be welcoming, inclusive, supportive and kind — and to stand side by side with the most vulnerable among us.”
June 3: Campus Recreation
“Campus Recreation stands in solidarity with those working for racial justice on campus, in Tucson, and across the world,” they said on their Instagram.
June 2: UA Police Department
Brian Seastone, chief of UAPD, said that Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer was “appalling to me as both a citizen and as a law enforcement professional.”
He said he reiterated his commitment to being open to the community and can be reached at seastone@arizona.edu.
June 1: Campus Health
Campus Health encouraged students to take care of their mental and physical health during challenging times in a statement on Twitter.
“Our hearts ache after the brutal killing last week of Mr. George Floyd … We are here to help and support you,” the statement said. “Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at Campus Health/CAPS.”
June 1: UA Graduate Student Coalition
“We demand that our respective universities immediately terminate all of their relations with police departments and private security companies,” the coalition said in a statement linked to their Twitter. “These policing institutions enact the same violence in our own communities as we have seen this week in Minneapolis, and through these relations our universities support this violence and continue to uphold the white supremacy that is foundational to this country.”
June 1: Associated Students of the University of Arizona
“ASUA stands in solidarity with the Black community,” ASUA wrote on their Instagram. “We encourage all students and community members to learn about, reflect on and speak out against continued brutality and injustices against Black lives.”
The post contained educational resources, reflection prompts and numbers to text in support of the movement.
June 1: Arizona Athletics
Arizona Athletics released a statement along with a video on Twitter on June 1.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic injustices that have happened across the nation,” the statement said. “We are committed to creating spaces for student-athletes and staff to come together to grieve, build trust, and develop allyship.”
June 1: Arizona Athletics also retweeted a joint statement from the Pac-12 Conference, cosigned by Athletic Director David Heeke.
“As universities tasked with educating the next generation of leaders, we are in a unique position to be a part of the solution and to hold ourselves accountable,” the statement said.
June 1: Sean Miller, head men’s basketball coach
“There are no lessons learned without the complete understanding that we RESPECT each other at all times – regardless of race, color, gender, religion or national origin,” Miller said in a statement posted to Instagram.
May 31: Kevin Sumlin, head football coach
“I wear many hats each day: father, brother, son, coach, friend, boss, colleague,” Sumlin said in a two-part statement on Twitter. “But yet no matter what hat I put on, the color of my skin does not change. Being a college head football coach, blessed to earn more than I ever could have imagined, does not make me immune to the same suspicious stares, to the same fears of being pulled over, to the same assumptions that others make of me, to the same racist remarks sent in my direction, simply because I am Black.”
May 31: Adia Barnes, head women’s basketball coach
Barnes said she stands with student-athletes during this time and said it is her duty to “unite, empower, and educate women to have an effective voice to inspire change.”
Follow Priya Jandu on Twitter
