July 9, 2020

Diversity and equity for all

The Honors Program stands in solidarity with all those outraged by the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Shaun Fuhr, Charleena Lyles, Manuel Ellis among too many other Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, trans and gender non-conforming lives. These deaths serve as yet another reminder of the pervasiveness of racism and the dehumanization of the LGBTQIA communities and our failure to adequately address and change systems of intertwined oppressions. We acknowledge the deep pain, anguish and extra trauma our black, brown, and indigenous communities are carrying right now, made more visible to all. 
 
In the midst of these challenging times, know we are in community with you and we will not be silent. All in the Honors Program hold ourselves accountable to be a better and stronger Program with equity, diversity and justice threaded throughout our work on campus and our work that extends across the country, and around the world.

We recognize that “…we must directly confront bias and racism at the individual, institutional and systemic levels” (UW Race and Equity Initiative). We see this work as vital and as part of ongoing institutional transformation in the context of the historically white University of Washington. Our course offerings continually evolve, led by UW faculty and community leaders, locally and internationally, whose contributions to equity and inclusion across systems and attitudes shape our culture. Our pedagogy places special emphasis on social justice, racial equity, critical community engagement, reflection, analyses of intersectional power and other transformative questions.

Resources:
Black Student Union
Call to Action
UW Libraries Racial Justice Resources
AES Resources
#ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM resources
#Black Lives Matter