UNCW Honors College Statement on Injustice and Racism
June 5, 2020
As a community, the Honors College grieves Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, David McAtee, Tony McDade, and the countless others who have been killed by police brutality and senseless violence in recent and far-gone days. We stand in solidarity with those who grieve and peacefully protest the injustices that have plagued the U.S. in many forms for centuries.
The purpose of the Honors College is and has always been to develop citizen-scholars: to help students explore the world, think critically, and seek what is choice-worthy. We believe that each of our students and community members brings a unique perspective to learning. We cannot ignore the fact that many of those perspectives have been shaped and shaded by systemic oppression and racism, the legacy of which is still present in our local environment of Wilmington. In a university setting, we often think of education as a great equalizer, but we know that is not always the case, and that we must listen to the voices of our marginalized community members.
Our commitment to diversity in the Honors College allows us to act carefully and intentionally regarding admissions and programming. As a result, our freshmen incoming class is the most diverse the UNCW Honors College has ever seen, and our curricular offerings reflect an increasing diversity in our faculty members and course content. We will continue to learn and to educate our students to use their voices and advocate for justice and to help and serve others. To be sure, this includes working to better support our marginalized students and developing synergistic community partnerships.
If there is programming, community-engaged work, and/or events that you would like to see with regards to these actions, we invite our students, faculty, and alumni to let us know. We are a community in need of each of you – your ideas, talents, and ambitions. We are looking forward to being together with you again soon.
“The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.” —James Baldwin, “A Talk to Teachers”
