(San Francisco, CA) Since the horrific and senseless death of George Floyd on May 25, we have all been struggling to come to terms with feelings of anger, frustration and an intense desire to find solutions to this latest, graphic testament to the injustice and racism that continues to exist in our society.
Now, more than ever, we need to find the strength to stand up and become active participants in being a part of the solution to end racism and discrimination of all kinds, and to hold ourselves accountable not only to saying the right things, but more importantly, doing the right things, to get us there.
The injustice before us is not just a problem facing African-Americans, nor a problem just facing minorities. It is an American injustice, one that we all must own and all must address head on if we wish to create a more humane, more caring and more empathetic society – one free of racism for all us here today and for our children and their children.
The Pac-12 prides itself on our diversity, inclusiveness and commitment to social causes in our communities and our society as a whole. Over the past days and in the coming days, weeks and months, we will continue to engage with our student-athletes, coaches and other members of our Pac-12 community to discuss how collectively we can take actions to help end racism and injustice. We will also be hosting a number of forums with our student-athletes, moderated by thought-leaders in combatting racism, to discuss the issues of discrimination and injustice highlighted by this latest tragedy and to develop action plans.
As universities tasked with educating the next generation of leaders, we are in a unique position to be a part of the solution and to hold ourselves accountable. And here is where we have great hope, and are united in our desire and in our resolve.
Press Release courtesy of the PAC-12 Conference
