February 8, 2021
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we
can only be human together.”
Those words of famed South African cleric and anti-apartheid
and human rights activist Desmond Tutu seem particularly
appropriate to ponder as we celebrate Black History Month
throughout February.
For even as we recognize the enormous achievements and
contributions of African Americans to culture, politics, and
society at large this month, we must equally focus on the
injustices that have hobbled and halted the path toward true
freedom and equality. As Tutu suggests, embracing and equally
valuing the dignity of all lives is the ultimate measure of
our shared humanness.
In my time at WSU, I have seen a statewide university community
committed to working together with compassion to better align
the University’s core values about equality with our day-to-day
business practices. We have made progress—particularly during
the past two years—but much work remains to be done.
To continue that progress, we as a collective community
must continue to revisit the lessons of the past so that we
can better understand the present, while planning for the
future. WSU’s Black History Month events are designed to do
exactly that.
I encourage you to take advantage of these system-wide
opportunities and virtually attend as many of the planned
programs as possible. They will be joyful and thought-provoking.
They will open your mind to different experiences and
viewpoints. They will provide a close‑up reminder that it
requires strength, endless hope, resiliency, and hard work
by African Americans and their allies to move our country
forward in the journey toward a more just and equal nation.
Among the don’t-miss activities:
February 9, 11 a.m.
Musician and scholar Ashley Killam will present the lecture
“Fanfare for the Unheard: A Voice for Emerging Stars in Music,”
part of the Music: A Mosaic of Experiences lecture series
sponsored by the Center for Arts and Humanities and the
School of Music.
February 10, 7 p.m.
“Creative Writers Series presents Chigozie Obioma.”
Obioma is the author of the novel The Fishermen (2015),
which was a finalist for the Man Booker prize and a winner of
four other awards, including an NAACP Image Award. The series is
a collaboration between WSU Vancouver, WSU Tri‑Cities,
and WSU Pullman.
February 16, 6 p.m.
“The Difference Between Being Not Racist and Anti‑Racist.”
Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi will discuss the transformative
concept of antiracism and discuss how it can be applied to uproot injustice
and inequality in the world.
February 17, 1 p.m.
“Black History Month Fireside Chat.”
This hour‑long dialogue sponsored by the WSU Tri‑Cities
MOSAIC Center for Student Inclusion will focus on how injustice and
advocacy is seen through the lens of different lived experiences.
Residents will share stories about the adversity and triumphs of
living and working in the Tri‑Cities region.
February 22, 6 p.m.
“One Everett, One Book: Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.”
This Everett community event, cosponsored by WSU Everett,
will engage attendees in a conversation about race and social justice
based on the book coauthored by Reynolds and Kendi,
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.
Check out the website of each campus as well as the
African American Student Center website for more details
about these events and other planned Black History Month
activities. And don’t forget the rich array of ongoing
activities focused on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy,
which will continue virtually through the end of April.
We are all well aware that the path leading to justice
will not be easy or painless. But if we persist as a society
in embracing what is right rather than what is wrong—emphasizing
our shared humanity—the progression to a day in which all
people are truly free to pursue their dreams will eventually
arrive.
I want to close with another powerful thought from Tutu:
“We are made for goodness…We are made for
togetherness…We are made to tell the world that there are no
outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor,
educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all.
We all belong to this family, this human family…”
May we continue to strive to create a future in which our society—and our university—authentically reflect Tutu’s vision.
Best regards,
Kirk
