Dear Pacific Oaks Community, Colleagues, and Friends,
Yesterday, many of us witnessed unparalleled and never-before-seen events at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Congress began the process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College. Like you, we were experiencing many emotions as we watched the news unfold. This tragedy was an attempt to disrupt the constitutional process but, thankfully, was unsuccessful. As we have heard before in previous unrest, we cannot let the actions of a few deter us from doing what is right. There should be NO place in our country for violence or attacks on our democracy and the people who serve our nation.
The tragedy is a reminder of the stark contrast of two realities of privilege. We must be unambiguous in our support of dismantling the systemic racism that underpins much of our current political turmoil. Pacific Oaks encourages and challenges all of us to discuss and process these events and the intersectionality of them with race, gender, class, religion, sexuality, and all dimensions of culture with which you identify. With respect, continue to challenge yourself to listen to differing viewpoints, as to better understand others’ experiences. It is through dialogue like this that we grow and break down barriers to promote social justice.
We push forward in 2021!
Dr. Jack Paduntin, President
Dr. Bree Cook, Vice President of Academic Affairs
