Statement regarding Derek Chauvin verdict

President's Cabinet issued statement on April 20, 2021

By California State University, Bakersfield

April 21^st, 2021

The following statement from President Lynnette Zelezny and the California State University, Bakersfield cabinet was distributed to students, faculty and staff on April 20, 2021.

Dear CSUB Family,

Today, a jury in Minnesota reached a verdict in the case of George Floyd, whose death horrified the world, stirring our national conscience and challenging us to confront and reject systemic racism.

Let us take heart that the promise of equal justice under the law was served today.

Let us continue our commitment to making this a better world for our friends, our neighbors, our communities and ourselves.

If this commitment leads us to struggle, we must struggle together for the betterment of current and future generations.

And when we become fatigued in our struggle, disheartened in our struggle, burdened in our struggle, let us remember this:

There is hope in a worthy struggle, a struggle that opens eyes and hearts, a struggle that makes us better.

The worthy struggle is alive here at CSUB.

And the worthy struggle is alive throughout the California State University system.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Chancellor Joseph I. Castro reaffirmed the CSU’s commitment to “embrace anti-racist policies and practices.”

“I believe that America is yearning for an inflection point, one that marks a turn toward healing, reconciliation and recovery. The CSU can serve as that inflection point. Our position as the largest and most diverse public university in the nation also makes us the most consequential university at this critical moment in our country's history. We lead the nation in driving social mobility for our students, yet there is much more work to do. The CSU is part of an educational ecosystem in California that must eliminate – once and for all – equity gaps among our students and prepare more African American students for admission to and graduation from the CSU and other universities.”

The reckoning on race has reached every corner of the country, forcing us to confront our own biases, both overt and implicit. Let us be clear where CSUB stands on race, equity and justice:

Everyone is welcome and wanted here.

Everyone deserves to feel safe on our campuses.

Everyone should feel that the promises this country makes - that we all should enjoy equal protection and opportunity – are honored here.

Everyone should feel that when they walk down the red brick road to begin the pursuit of knowledge that will enrich their lives, that they are doing it with the full support of this university.

CSUB understands that rejecting racism and creating opportunity is a mission that does not have a fixed destination; rather, it is a compact we renew with ourselves and our community every day, in every interaction.

We will not stop the important work of self-examination at CSUB.

We pledge to be the best university we can be, to all in our community.

That is our promise to you.

That is our promise to ourselves.

`Runners, you are the best hope of a brighter tomorrow.

May we fortify ourselves for the work ahead by remembering the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

CSUB will continue to work with our students, faculty and staff to create an environment that nurtures and supports every one of us. Your voice not only is welcome but necessary in this conversation.