Courtesy of Gavilan College:
At their July meeting, the Gavilan College Board of Trustees voted in unanimous support for Resolution #1056, “affirming our commitment to student success for Black and African American students.”
According to Board President, Rachel Perez, “As a community college with a diverse community, we need to be a model of diversity and inclusion. We know that students have to feel safe, respected, and valued in order to succeed. Gavilan College has Principles of Community that include the aspirations to be Diverse, Purposeful, Inclusive, and Equitable. It is what we do. For 400 years African-Americans have had to deal with atrocities – from slavery, to Jim Crow, to discrimination. How long do people have to keep fighting for what is right?. As a college, we need to show our commitment to all of our students, and our support for justice.”
Along with many other community colleges around the state, the Gavilan College Board of Trustees adopted the resolution following the issuance of a Call to Action by California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Oakley, following the death of George Floyd of Minneapolis, under the knee of a white police officer.
According to Gavilan College Superintendent / President Dr. Kathleen A. Rose, “With the Board of Trustees’ supportive resolution, Gavilan College can strengthen our commitment to equity through honest conversation and dedicated service.”
Over the 2020-2021 Academic Year the college will be moving forward with shared dialog around the theme of “Equity, Inclusion, and Healing” as different groups and departments , engage in discussion, and work to increase equity in their work with students and the community.
