August 26, 2020

The shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday adds one more graphic and deeply disturbing example of violence against Black people in this country — a pattern of violence that has reignited the international movement for Black lives and for the eradication of systemic racism. We feel anguish and outrage in bearing witness to the violence against another son or daughter, another parent, another fellow human being whose name we have come to know and whose life matters.

As we pray for Mr. Blake, his family and, especially, for his three children who experienced the terror and trauma of seeing their father repeatedly shot in front of them, we must also be rededicated as a university to the work of ensuring that Black people are safe in our society, and particularly on our campus and in our community.

As an academic and research institution in a great, diverse — yet, too often divided — city, we have a special responsibility not only to understand the deeply embedded structures of inequality and racism, but also to address them with substantive solutions. That's why I'm committed to supporting the work of our Anti-Racism Task Force in guiding us toward becoming the kind of diverse, inclusive Drexel that ensures everyone can feel safe and welcome. I know the work of listening and learning will be hard and sometimes painful, but I believe it's essential to fulfilling the University's mission and to the promise of a Drexel education. I want to urge everyone to participate and make your voice heard in this vital process in the months ahead, because we can only find our path forward together.

Of course, at moments like this, there's nothing more we would like than to be together — physically — to support one another as a campus community.  Even though many of us will remain physically distant during this coming fall quarter, about which I'll have more to say in the days ahead, I want to be sure people know about the resources we have to support those who may find it helpful.

Experiencing or witnessing racial injustice can have a direct impact on mental well-being. To talk to someone from the Student Counseling Center, email counseling@drexel.edu. The Counseling Center also has resources for coping with discrimination, hate and violence on its website. In addition, Drexel is committed to providing care for our faculty and professional staff coping with discrimination, hate and violence. To talk to someone from the Employee Assistance Program, call 888.628.4824.

For questions, concerns or requests related to the Anti-Racism Task Force, please email anti-racism@drexel.edu. You can share your concerns via email, or make an appointment to meet with the co-chairs of the Anti-Racism Task Force during their office hours on Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m.

Finally, I want to reiterate that Drexel does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or other incidents of bias within its community. To report incidents of bias, please email the Office of Equality and Diversity at oed@drexel.edu or call 215.895.1405.

Sincerely,

John Fry
President