Nov. 15, 2021 

Dear Campus Community,

There is a long and profound weariness that many members of our campus community may be acutely experiencing as we start this week, as the nation awaits the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We have been in this place before - too many times and too recently - but here we are again, awaiting the fate of Mr. Rittenhouse, whose response to the Black Lives Matter protest that broke out in Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake just over a year ago resulted in the death of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and injuries to Gaige Grosskreutz, 27.

While Mr. Rittenhouse’s emotional testimony on the stand told a story of self-defense, for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, it may be difficult to keep from imagining how the Rittenhouse story may have unfolded had it happened to be the fate of a Black 18-year-old who answered the call of an unauthorized militia for an armed response to the protests and destruction of property that was occurring in downtown Kenosha.

While the jury may begin deliberations in the Rittenhouse trial as soon as today, we do not need to wait until the final verdict to recognize the lives that were lost and the hurt and trauma that families have and will continue to experience in the days, months, and years ahead. In addition, we do not need to wait until the final verdict to reinforce and strengthen our institutional values and mission of realizing racial and social justice. This process can be exhausting and angering, and there are legitimate reasons embedded in our nation’s history for feeling weary, angry, hopeless, and even cynical. But I call explicitly on each individual member of our campus community to resist hopelessness and cynicism. Weariness can be overcome, but hopelessness and cynicism are signals of defeat.

At CSUCI, we are working to do better at promoting the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our work in every division. We cannot yet say that we have accomplished this, but we know that the successes we achieve will be through the education we provide here at CSUCI, the strength of our will, and the stubbornness of our efforts. Regardless of the outcome of any trial, we have what we need to do right and do better, in the spaces that matter here for the students, families, and communities we serve. 

Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
Interim President

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