June 10, 2020
Dear Architecture Students,
I write on behalf of School of Architecture Director Rob Miller and the faculty and staff of the school to address recent events in our country.
The death of George Floyd and the brutalization of other people of color at the hands of the police and others are just part of the heartrending evidence of tenacious, long-reaching racism in America. We condemn that racism and all its pernicious effects, and we must root it out. We pride ourselves on being members of a university dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and our students, but we can and must do more.
I recently heard Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, interviewed on the radio. He quoted Cornel West and what he said struck a deep chord in me. He said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” We invite you to join with us in seeking justice. Together, we can advocate most effectively for others in need and those denied equal opportunity and freedom from violence. Together, we can foreground the multiplicity of backgrounds and experiences that exist in our midst and beyond. Together, we can envision the university and professions of the future, where innovation and meaningful contribution are not judged according to one’s race or physiognomy. Together, we can query complacency wherever it occurs, even sometimes in ourselves.
Black Lives Matter.
You Matter.
Please contribute your ideas to our evolving discussion of new programs, trainings, events and extracurricular options that will support a vigorous conception of the rights of all people to healthy environments, safe homes and productive lives in a just society.
You can send your ideas to me at laurah@arizona.edu. My colleagues and I are eager to work with you and to be challenged by you.
If in the meantime you need any services such as counseling, the University of Arizona offers the following resources:
- Counseling and Psych Services
- Dean of Students Office
- Student Wellness
- African American Student Affairs
We are only as good as the welcome we extend to each member of our society.
Laura Hollengreen
Associate Professor of Architecture
Associate Director, School of Architecture
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture