We have established this fund to help make a difference in the lives of those who have faced injustice for generations.
Since January 1, 2015 more than 1,252 Black people have been shot and killed by police, not including those who died in police custody or were killed using other methods. We stand by our Black students and will work tirelessly to end this injustice.
To those who are protesting to make your voices heard, know this: We are proud of you. We support you and your right to speak your truth. Please stay safe.
Protests over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck until he was unresponsive, follow multiple incidents of police violence against Black Americans. They include:
- Eric Garner had just broken up a fight, according to witness testimony.
- Ezell Ford was walking in his neighborhood.
- Michelle Cusseaux was changing the lock on her home's door when police arrived to take her to a mental health facility.
- Tanisha Anderson was having a bad mental health episode, and her brother called 911.
- Tamir Rice was playing in a park.
- Natasha McKenna was having a schizophrenic episode when she was tazed in Fairfax, Va.
- Walter Scott was going to an auto-parts store.
- Bettie Jones answered the door to let Chicago police officers in to help her upstairs neighbor, who had called 911 to resolve a domestic dispute.
- Philando Castile was driving home from dinner with his girlfriend.
- Botham Jean was eating ice cream in his living room in Dallas.
- Atatiana Jefferson was babysitting her nephew at home in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Eric Reason was pulling into a parking spot at a local chicken and fish shop.
- Dominique Clayton was sleeping in her bed.
- Breonna Taylor was also asleep in her bed.
- George Floyd was at the grocery store.
The Western Stands for Racial Equity fund will be used to support recruitment and retention scholarships in honor and in memory of those who have faced injustice for generations. These scholarships are an investment in a new generation of young leaders who are poised to take action at the local and national level.
President Randhawa's Statement of Solidarity and Action: https://president.wwu.edu/message-solidarity-and-action
