Dear Colegas,
In the past weeks, communities across the nation have experienced multiple incidents of targeted violence. Specifically, on Saturday, August 3rd in El Paso, Texas and Wednesday, August 7
th
in the state of Mississippi, White supremacy targeted the Latinx community resulting in 22 lives lost, multiple individuals injured, and over 680 individuals detained by immigration customs enforcement. As a leadership team, we acknowledge the delay in sharing our thoughts on the impact these tragedies have had on our membership, while at the same time offering our amor (love) and fuerza (strength) to those directly affected. We encourage our membership (whether you were impacted directly or indirectly) to continue to practice self and community care in whatever way(s) make sense for you.
In the same vein, it is equally important that CoCEAL not remain silent in naming the on-going impact of White supremacy and anti-immigrant rhetoric on our community as it continues to negatively impact our sense of self as safety as Latinxs. Our commitment to our mission to influence, challenge, and lead higher education systems that advance equitable Latinx access, success and graduation in Colorado is our resistance. We must hold space for each other to be angry, sad, and scared, while also experiencing joy and hope. Preservation of self, our values, and our cultura has never been more important.
Thus, as many of us have welcomed students back to campus throughout these couple of weeks, we know that many of you will be asked to support students throughout the year in navigating through the continued bias/hate-based incidents occurring on your campuses and surrounding communities. Operating in these roles and spaces often comes at the expense of added labor that may not be acknowledged or validated. As a leadership team, we want to remind you that you are not alone, we value you, and your work matters!
In closing, if we hope to liberate ourselves and transform society as Latinxs, we must also acknowledge how our liberation is tied to the El Paso, Mississippi, and Dayton communities. As a result, we invite you to contribute financially to the individuals and families impacted by the recent tragedies (see below), and share information on United We Dream’s
Know Your Power
guide amongst your networks. In the words of the Mexican proverb, “They tried to bury us, but they did not know we were seeds.”
Click Here
to contribute to the Dayton District Tragedy Fund
Click Here
to contribute to El Paso Community Foundation
In solidarity,
Your CoCEAL Executive Leadership Team
