Dear FIU family,
Like you, I watch the dreadful images of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia, and despair at the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and others before them who have senselessly died.
I see and feel the outrage that has poured into the streets of American cities. And I wonder why we can’t do better as a nation.
We must always stand on the side of justice and accountability as we mourn together for the victims of injustice.
At FIU we have a strong Black Student Union (BSU) and I appreciate the thoughtfulness I see in their leadership. I want to assure BSU and all students, faculty and staff at FIU that we are here for them astride a value system that promotes hope and opportunity and rejects violence and hate. I also know that the vast majority of law enforcement officers respect and care for the communities they serve. Chief Alexander Casas and our entire FIU Police Department will continue to uphold their duties in protecting and serving our FIU community with a commitment to promote justice and equality for all.
I call on all Panthers to take personal responsibility for how we react to the events of the past few days and look for small and big ways to make a difference, to lend a hand, to bring light.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best: “In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.” But now, more than ever, we need to dedicate ourselves to permanent victories — with the hope that messages such as this, at some point soon, no longer are necessary.
Sincerely,
Mark B. Rosenberg