Not Just Words But Action:
The Black Faculty and Staff Association

The Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) stands in solidarity in support of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement. In the wake of the killings of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, we are in pain and devastated.

While the recent killing of Tyre Nichols is awakening America once again to the violence that Black people experience at the hands of law enforcement, this incident also reminds us that systemic racism is not only embedded in our cities, our states, and our nation, it also circulates in our institutions of higher learning, our places of worship, and our communities.

As employees in a land grant institution, we are positioned to educate the next generation of scholar activists, citizen activists, and parent activists to continue to protest, seek government offices, and join civil rights non-profits. We will continue to engage in the faithful and ongoing work of dismantling racism, identifying anti-blackness, and denouncing white supremacy in ourselves, our classrooms, and our communities.

While our posture is one of humility, our minds are determined, and our spirits are unbroken. Thus, we ask the WSU community to embrace these words as a call to action: Reflect on your personal and professional lives and commitments and make combatting anti-blackness not just words, but actions.

Aaron Oforlea
President, Black Faculty and Staff Association

Carrie Bullock Ben-Yisrael
Vice President

Jessica Samuel
Treasurer

Charice DeGuzman
Secretary