The below message was sent on Jan. 27, 2023
Dear 魅影直播 Community,
As a campus community, we mourn the brutal killing of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on January 7. We condemn this killing and the acts of continued violence against Black people.
Tonight at 7:00 pm EST, the city of Memphis is scheduled to release video of the arrest. There is no doubt that this sharing has tremendous potential to traumatize and unleash deep feelings for all, especially members of marginalized communities.
The timing of this video release will come at the end of an already painful week. We have experienced multiple deadly mass shootings directed toward members of the AAPI communities. We have also observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honors the 6,000,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazism.
Out of respect for the gravity of what is happening this evening, the Winter Frolic scheduled for tonight has been postponed. Instead, the Community Diversity Assistants (CDAs) invite you to gather at Pem Arch at 8:00 pm for a moment of silence to honor the life of Tyre Nichols.
The news, images, and social media posts about all of this can be overwhelming, re-traumatizing, and harmful. For students seeking additional peer support, CDAs and Peer Health & Wellness Educators are available to speak with you if you would like to talk individually or in small groups. A list of additional resources that are available this weekend and always is attached.
Additionally, all community members are invited to gather for a campus-wide conversation about the impact of police violence and mass shootings with other faculty, staff, and students on Monday, January 30 at 12:00 noon in the Campus Center. Later that day, the Pensby Center for Community Development and Inclusion will offer 鈥淏reathing Space鈥 for BIPOC students who wish to gather and support one another. This will take place at 6:00 pm in the Quita Woodward Room.
Let us support one another as we work for a more just and equitable world.
Sincerely,
Kim Cassidy, President and Cheryl Horsey, Acting Dean of the Undergraduate College