Message about Israel-Palestine and LGBTQ Pride Month
June 15, 2021
Message about Israel-Palestine and LGBTQ Pride Month
Dear Honors community,
As the academic year comes to a close, we reach out to emphasize our intention and commitment to stay in communication with our community, to dialogue and sustain thoughtful action-oriented learning, and as our mission statement relays, engage with the complexities of difference and diversity and to take leadership roles in navigating global change.
Our hearts go out to all members of our community with connection to Israel-Palestine, which emphasizes the need for intersectional learning that seeks to understand deep rooted and complex power structures holding up violent actions.
This is a local and national issue as much as it is a global one. Palestinian and Israeli peoples live across the United States, including in Washington and on our campus. Additionally, many Arab, Muslim, and Jewish community members feel a deep connection to this issue, and it is thus our collective and individual responsibility to be informed. We ask that all Honors staff, faculty, and students be mindful of the impact the violence in Gaza has had on our community members, emphasizing the message of President Ana Marie Cauce in her blog. Please continue to inform yourself and to remain engaged, to take care of yourself, and to take care of each other.
June is Pride Month celebrating LGBTQ+ communities and bringing awareness of the continued violence and discrimination inflicted on LGBTQ+ people in this country and across the globe, including those in Gaza. We hope you’ll remember our individual and collective responsibility to continue to work toward a more just and equitable world, while also celebrating the beauty and brilliance of our community.
We understand the limits of public statements and we know words must be spoken with clarity and thoughtful consideration, founded on knowledge and listening. Students, staff, and faculty across UW campuses continue to learn and educate themselves on the historic and current conflict and we also aim to create spaces in our classes for these complex dialogues.
We stand in solidarity to learn and to speak out against the traumatic violence on our Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, locally and internationally, and to take individual and collective action for justice for all.
The summer is a chance to reflect and restore, and we encourage you to take time to do these things. We have gathered a sampling of resources for continued learning and engagement and also we provide resources for self-care. We in Honors will continue to offer support and resources throughout the summer. Please do know you can always reach out.
Be well and be safe.
The Honors Staff
Resources to Learn More Israel-Palestine:
United States Institute of Peace: Israel and the Palestinian Territories
Vox – Israel Palestine Conflict Guide Explainer
Sparking Dialogue Through Art: the Israeli & Palestinian Artolution Initiative
LGBTQ* Resources:
UW Q Center (resources and events)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) LGBTQ Rights
Self-Care and Well-Being Resources:
Full list of UW Counseling Center Mental Health/Self-Care Resources