MCWRC Statement: Black Lives Matter

As a team, we maintain our commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion, and justice. We cannot stay silent on the injustices that have run rampant in our country for centuries and have reached a boiling point in the last week in light of the murder of George Floyd. Our team and our Middlebury community is comprised of black, queer, trans, POC, and femme identities whose lives we value and support: just like George Floyd, just like Breonna Taylor, just like Ahmaud Arbery and countless others. We believe that actions speak louder than words and have chosen to crowdsource a donation from MCWRC to BLD PWR: a black-led fund which “engages culture, education and activism to build and train an inclusive community of entertainers and athletes to advance social change.” We also believe that group silence contributes to a lack of accountability among individuals which justifies neutrality and inaction– thus serving the agenda of the oppressor. For this reason, we challenge other Middlebury organizations to take the route of action rather than just words. We challenge the administration to take action for social justice within our Middlebury community in addition to its emails that simply recognize the struggle. To our black teammates and fellow students: we see you, we stand with you, and we support you. Black lives matter.