Creative Writing

Creative Writing Faculty Supports Racial and Social Justice

The creative writing department faculty of UNC Wilmington affirms the right of black people, indigenous people, and people of color to live without fear of brutality from the police and from white people. We wholeheartedly support the recent message from UNCW’s Faculty and Staff Senates, available here and included below this message.

As writers, we are committed to freedom of expression. We affirm the right and the essential need for protest and civil disobedience as tools for making our country a more equitable place. The attacks on peaceful demonstrators and on journalists in recent days are inexcusable. Equally, we condemn acts of hate speech that serve only to create division and incite violence. Change is required in the deepest structures of our society and government, and, for many of us, within ourselves.

As faculty in a predominantly white department of a predominantly white university, we are aware of our institution’s history of and continued struggle with institutional racism and discrimination. We will intensify our efforts to rectify this. We are committed to holding ourselves and our pedagogy accountable to questions of social justice. We can and will do more and better. We will follow up with our community with details about planned actions.

And we are committed to listening to and amplifying voices that have historically been silenced and that have the power to effect change.

Black lives matter.

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If you are a member of our creative-writing community and are in need of support, you may contact us, or one of the resources below.

The following resources are available to UNC Wilmington students and, in some cases, faculty.

  • UNCW CARE (Collaboration for Assault Response & Education) intervenes on a broad spectrum of violent behaviors, including sexual assault, relationship abuse, stalking and harassment. CARE responds to students who have been victimized, as well as those affected by someone else’s experience with abuse or assault, by providing supportive services, including crisis response, individual advocacy and coordination with both on-campus and off-campus resources.
    CARE can be contacted at 910-962-CARE. Emergency or after-hours consultation is also available by calling the CARE responder at 910-512-4821. uncw.edu/care 
  • Free mental-health counseling for UNCW students is available. The counseling center is closed due to the pandemic, but crisis consultations are available at (910) 962-3746, extension 3.  
    uncw.edu/studentorgs/sga/services 
  • Medical services for UNCW students are available via the Student Health Center.
    Visit uncw.edu/healthservices/shc_services, or call 910-962-3280 to make an appointment.
    If you need medical attention when the Student Health Center is closed, call Vitaline at 910-815-5188 to obtain medical advice from a registered nurse.

 

The following resources are available to all:

  • The National Domestic Abuse Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224, or thehotline.org. 

 

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The following statement is being released on behalf of the Steering Committee of Faculty Senate and the Executive Committee of Staff Senate:

UNCW Faculty and Staff Senates unite with shared feelings of outrage, fear, and sadness. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others, coupled with other incidents of inequality and ensuing violence, serve as a stark reminder of the enduring racism in our country. We must stand in solidarity with our fellow students, faculty, and staff and protest in the face of police brutality and systemic racism. Furthermore, we must acknowledge the racism and the systems of oppression and white supremacy that this country was built on. We would be remiss not to acknowledge Wilmington’s historical racial injustices towards the Black community, from the 1898 Coup to the 1971 Riots and the subsequent wrongful convictions of the Wilmington Ten. 

In the coming days and weeks, our history would suggest that we will begin a return towards the familiar status quo. As faculty and staff of a university with a mission tied to diversity, equity and integrity, we must commit to not allowing this to happen. We must harness the energy of this moment and turn it towards advancing permanent racial and social justice. This will not be an easy task, and not one that can be individually achieved. We hope that you will join us in committing to this movement and in working together to promote lasting social and systemic change. 

Black Lives Matter.

 



The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of North Carolina Wilmington.