We have the power to advance MLK Jr.’s call for social justice, inclusivity

Jan. 18, 2021

Members of the OSU Community,

I had the privilege of speaking this morning at Oregon State University’s 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Breakfast  a virtual event viewed by more than 5,000 people.

I was moved by event speakers’ messages and a video that captured the university’s history of Black activism and the voices of six OSU students calling on community members to help advance equity and justice. I am pleased to lead a university whose longest running annual event focuses on civil rights, social justice, racial equity and transformative change by celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. And that honors members of the OSU community who embody Dr. King’s message and carry his work forward. View the full recording of today’s celebration of Dr. King beginning Tuesday morning at this link.

The transformation sought by Dr. King is long overdue. As a nation, we must recognize that evidence of white supremacy still exists in America. Consider the disappointment that he would feel more than 50 years after his assassination that the threat of violence against Black people and other people of color persists and that white supremacy and anarchy are growing threats to the Constitution, as well as to equality, justice and safety across the nation.

In response, Dr. King would call upon each of us to persist in our non-violent efforts to achieve social justice. We must commit to lasting change within Oregon State University  and at other colleges and universities across America  by engaging in teaching, learning, research, civil discourse, peaceful activism and community engagement to help eradicate racism in higher education. It is within Dr. King’s writings that we find his views as a student on the importance of higher education, character and commitment. Please take time today to review this essay and other writings of Dr. King.

Today’s MLK event embodies the need for further mindfulness, resolve and action to deliver the promise of diversity, equity and inclusion for all. However, we will not be able to advance as a community, state and country if we are not willing to honestly examine the past and openly consider the ways in which many have benefitted from the legacy of slavery. We must acknowledge that even today some people work to maintain racism. As a university, we have the responsibility to examine and tell the truth of history while working to change the present and the future.

Such work is underway within OSU, but more needs to be done. In September, I reaffirmed the university’s commitment to advancing OSU’s Strategic Plan, as well as the university’s Diversity Strategic Plan and recommendations made by the President and Provost’s Leadership Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice. We launched a new initiative called “Moving Forward Together” to track actions underway and undertake others to oppose systemic racism and support the success of Black, Indigenous and other students, faculty and staff of color.

This morning, I announced the creation of the President’s Commission on the Status of Black Faculty and Staff Affairs to be co-chaired by Terrance Harris, the director of the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, and Dr. Tenisha Tevis, a member of the faculty of the College of Education. Yet, committees and initiatives will not be enough. Each of us must engage to address this important work together and contribute to lasting equity, safety, inclusivity and justice within Oregon State University.

Together, we have the power to advance Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s imperative for social justice and inclusivity. I am committed to this important work and ask you to join me and others to advance these ideals throughout Oregon State University, and across our state and America.

 

Sincerely,

F. King Alexander
President