NACADA Statement on the Continuing Fight for Social Justice

On April 20th, 2021, a twelve-person jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The United States and the world have been rocked by the outcry for justice and accountability for the death of Floyd and other countless victims of police brutality. #BreonnaTaylor #EricGarner #JacobBlake #DaunteWright #MaKhiaBryant

While many begin the call to action for sustainable, transformational change following this verdict, it is imperative to remember the work toward healing and recovery is far from over. As members of the NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, we reaffirm our commitment to respond to this call, as declared in NACADA’s June 2020 statement on racial violence and police brutality and the April 2021 statement on anti-Asian violence:

"We understand that each member of our NACADA and campus communities has different needs at different times and places. We want to create spaces for people to feel heard, supported, and loved, and spaces for people to learn to be better allies, advocates, and supporters. We urge you to not lose hope or believe we are powerless to demand and create change. Each of us can take action now – in NACADA, in our institutions, and in our local communities.

NACADA recognizes the value and power of diversity among our members and the students who entrust us with their educational experiences. We know full inclusion and engagement is the ideal we have not yet reached, and we are taking continual steps to do better. As an advising community, we must come together from all our different institutions, different roles, and different places of understanding and desire to be better and through our unifying work create a better association so we can better serve our students who need us.”

The fight for social justice requires critical hope and the acknowledgment that the struggle for racial equity is never-ending. Each of us shares responsibility in this journey to create a better world together.

We encourage you to engage in active listening and seek honest, sincere understanding of the pain, trauma, and hurt of our BIPOC communities.

We encourage you to support and uplift Black lives and voices.

We encourage you to speak with campus administrators, faculty, and community partners to discuss strategies to improve relations between BIPOC communities and local law enforcement.

We encourage you to actively participate in antiracism and community building efforts on your campuses and in your communities.

And we encourage you to take care of yourselves, continue to reach out to one another, and engage in healing activities.

“We will have to march. We will have to do this for life.” – Philonise Floyd, brother of George Floyd

Sincerely,

Locksley Knibbs, Co-Chair, Race, Ethnicity, and Inclusion Workgroup; Incoming Board Member

Megumi Makino-Kanehiro, Vice President

Mark Nelson, Incoming Chair, Inclusion and Engagement Committee

Charlie Nutt, Executive Director

Cecilia Olivares, President

Jessica Staten, Co-Chair, Race, Ethnicity, and Inclusion Workgroup