We are saddened and angered by George Floyd’s senseless and violent death after being detained by Minneapolis police. Along with the recent shootings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in my hometown of Louisville, Mr. Floyd’s murder is another heartbreaking and demoralizing example of how systemic racism and violence shatter lives in our nation. Such racism and violence are unacceptable.
I cannot pretend to understand the full impact of Mr. Floyd’s death on our African American students or on other students, faculty and staff of color, but I do know that we at Carroll stand together against racial injustice. We value the voices and experiences of our students of color, and we will continue to resist and oppose racism and bias in our community and within ourselves.
To this end, I ask everyone at Carroll to recommit to our mission of education and our Ethos of respect, integrity and stewardship. Through education, we can help to build greater awareness and understanding in the world, and through our Ethos, we can help enact a supportive, welcoming and equitable culture on campus. Only together can we make our society just, ethical and peaceful.
Students, if you are in need of support at this time, please feel free to reach out to anyone here at Carroll, but especially to our Chaplain Elizabeth McCord (chaplain@carrollu.edu) or our staff in our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Finally, please join me for 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence at 8:20 tonight. This corresponds to the documented time of Mr. Floyd’s death a week ago tonight, and is an important opportunity for us to be together in prayer and reflection, even while we are physically distant.
Cindy Gnadinger
President