Racial Discrimination - We Must Do Better
March 21, 2021
A message from the King's Principal, Dr. David Malloy:
Today we recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Every day at King’s we work towards stopping racism, yet we know it is far from enough and we must do better. We are sickened and deeply saddened by the events this past week in Atlanta, and the ongoing hate towards others is deplorable.
We stand to stop Asian racism, oppression and in solidarity to support all those who experience violence. For all our students, faculty and staff who need support please reach out to our personal counselling for students, our International Office or contact the King's Employee Assistance Program service provider, FSEAP, at 1-877-433-0701. You can also find supports on the King's/Brescia Anti-Racism Working Group page. We are here to help you, to listen to you and to learn from you on how to make this hate stop.
The respect for the dignity of the individual is a cornerstone of every secular or religious moral standard. There is no excuse for racism, there is no moral, ethical, or value-based justification other than cowardly behaviour and simplistic either/or thinking. While our scientific and technological knowledge over millennia have advanced, it is shocking how little our collective wisdom and respect for each other has progressed. As institutions of “higher learning” now more than ever we must take stock of our core missions and recognize how vital we could be in addressing not only the STEM issues of our times but perhaps most importantly, the humanity or lack of humanity of our time in history. Listen, read, learn, and give; act with love and courage.
We have much more work to do. To help us do better, the King’s/Brescia Anti-Racism Working Group is collecting your viewpoint on racism on our campuses. Today is the last day to complete the survey and I urge you to take a few minutes to add your voice. The survey can be found here.
As always, take care of yourself, even more so take care of each other and if you see or experience racism call it out. We will continue to make this place better.