The time is now

Dear Colleagues:
“The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recognizes the special
responsibility of educators and scholars in meeting the problems arising from racial
discrimination and related inequalities of economic opportunity. Previous resolutions
have established our Association’s firm stand against racial discrimination and have
supported those legislative enactments designed to secure for all United States citizens
the full enjoyment of their civil rights. We now call upon all individuals and institutions in
the academic community to employ their resources of skill and knowledge in the
elimination of racism in all phases of American life.”

The above paragraph is a statement that was released by the AAUP in 1968. Sadly, over 50
years later, our society has not been able to overcome racism and racial inequality. As public
servants, we stand proudly in support of, and alongside those, who are striving for positive
change in our United States.

We remain diminished as a society when people of color are continually left behind and
repeatedly victimized by societal systems that perpetuate racism and racial inequality. Our
members immersed in our nation’s delivery of health care and education bear first-hand witness
to the generational impact of disparate experiences of communities of color in our society.
We recognize these outcomes are born of long-standing economic injustice, broken promises,
and lack of diverse cultural representation and understanding. We should continually seek to
learn from our patients, students, and colleagues in order to fully understand the experiences of
our fellow citizens and effect the societal changes that are required today. We should be
devoted to creating positive change in our clinics, emergency departments, hospital floors,
research laboratories, and classrooms.

The senseless taking of George Floyd’s life and the subsequent two weeks of protest have laid
bare how far we are from the America we can become. It has instead revealed the extremes of
our humanity, both in the devaluation of a man’s life and the nation’s decrying of that same act.
This should give us courage, the courage to stand together and lead by example. Working
together will bring us much closer to the America we know we can be, today rather than
tomorrow.

We pledge to do our part by standing with our fellow Connecticut residents for justice. We will
continue to strive for the equitable delivery of quality, affordable, and accessible education and
healthcare at our flagship public University and Health Center.

America has always been an idea, never yet fully realized, that we can only truly achieve by
working together. Let’s get to work.

Kind regards,

UCHC-AAUP Executive Council