Dear Pacific Oaks Community,
Our entire legacy at Pacific Oaks College is grounded in social justice and equality. We know that if we are not vocal about injustice, we are endorsing it. This pandemic has placed a spotlight on the disparities in our country and the preexisting structures that create and maintain them. The disproportionate COVID-19 related deaths for people of color are only a symptom of our country’s negligence in addressing its legacy of racial pain and trauma.
The recent death of George Floyd is a clear demonstration of one of our biggest national epidemics—racism. Many of us viewed the tragic video of George Floyd’s death with a familiar disgust. Year after year, the parents of black men and boys face a painful reality that others don’t, an America where the consistent burdens of racism not only exist but are fatal.
Pacific Oaks College actively stands against racism and discrimination. We are deeply troubled by the death of George Floyd and the many other black people continuously killed as a result of racism. The uprisings demanding accountability in Minnesota and across the country boil from a rage that has been long ignored.
The great American novelist James Baldwin once said, “It is certain that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” Today, I ask that the Pacific Oaks community stand alongside black Americans to advance social justice in the face of ignorance. We must use our collective voices and efforts to combat injustice. For many of you, this is the reason you chose Pacific Oaks.
Please continue to use your voice, your instructors, your peers, and your passions to fuel the fight to end racism. Empower yourself and your classmates with our Pacific Oaks’ mission and values. We are hoping that you are able to create safe spaces to process these events and our critical role in dismantling these systems of injustice.
In Service,
Dr. Jack Paduntin
President, Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School
About Pacific Oaks College
Rooted in the extraordinary potential that lives in every human being, Pacific Oaks offers an environment where your perspective and experience can play an integral part in your educational journey. Through our unique, progressive approach to teaching and learning, everyone in our classrooms is both student and teacher. Students relate subjects to their own personal experiences—sharing with the teacher and fellow students. From this unique pedagogy, you will learn from sharing your experiences as well as hearing those of your fellow classmates. If you would like to learn more about the college or programs offered, please fill out the form below to request more information.
