Black Lives Matter
June 4, 2020
Dear CUPPA Faculty, Staff, Students, and Friends,
Our nation, our city, our university, and CUPPA have been rocked by the murder of George Floyd. Black lives matter.
We are a community of change agents, with a passion to right the wrong, buoyed by analysis and evidence to support our actions. We are a community of believers, committed to bringing opportunities and hope to everyone, not just to a select few and not just to those who look like us. We have had our beliefs and values shaken to the core by the violence perpetrated against African Americans and other people of color in Minneapolis, Louisville, Central Park, and throughout the country.
We in CUPPA persevere, as we are a people of hope and optimism. We believe a better future lies ahead, but we also know that a better future is not inevitable. That’s why we act and stand beside those who march for justice and social equity and why we will always protest racial injustice. Every day, we pledge to open ourselves up to learn more, to hear, to take action.
Our journey to just communities may take a while but it can and it will happen. And we are part of the community whose vision and values will prevail.
Thank you for taking action to vanquish racial injustice and for all you do to promote just, resilient, and livable communities. We need you. And our nation, our city, our university, CUPPA need you.
Michael A. Pagano, Dean
UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs http://cuppa.uic.edu