FLS stands in SOLIDARITY

In response to the hate crimes in xavier hall’s multicultural learning experience floor, late january 2021

Fulton Leadership Society denounces the hate crimes that took place in the Multicultural Learning Experience floor of Xavier Hall last weekend. Every BC student has a right to feel at home on this campus, and any threat to this safety and security is simply unacceptable.

Our D&I committee continues to do important work, and it is clear that their work in educating our club members and the greater BC community about the injustices faced by minorities everywhere, including on our own campus, is far from over. As a club, we call on our members to hold each other and our peers accountable in advancing the state of racial equity in our nation and on our campus.

DEAR FULTON LEADERSHIP SOCIETY, CSOM HONORS PROGRAM, AND WIDER BC COMMUNITIES,

The Fulton Leadership Society and CSOM Honors Program stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and condemn any and all acts of racism. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many others serve as further examples of the systemic racism and police brutality that have oppressed Black people in this country for centuries. FLS stands with the Black community both in and outside of our organization. As a subset of a predominantly white institution, we both recognize our privilege and feel compelled to use our platform to work against racial injustice.

One of the long-standing missions of FLS and CSOM HP is to develop the leaders of today and tomorrow. The recent events across our country have only solidified a reminder of the increasingly urgent need for informed, proactive, and just leaders. In our efforts to continually show up and take action against the racism ingrained in our society, we commit to implementing focused programming and initiatives that prioritize diversity, equality, and inclusion. 

We will be working in collaboration with our Diversity and Inclusion Committee to ensure that our members are educated on these issues through program-wide workshops. Further, we will be collaborating with peer groups to widen the conversation beyond the bounds of FLS. We will challenge each of the 15 committees that comprise FLS to incorporate these initiatives and ideas in their respective functions. Over the next few weeks, the Officers and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be working in tandem to curate a substantive and specific plan, beginning with programming this summer. 

We recognize that these efforts are fluid and not all-encompassing, so we wanted to provide a broader collection of resources with the opportunity for immediate action. Danni Bianco, FLS/HP Class of 2019, has generously compiled a list of resources, which you can access, edit, and share HERE. 

We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, criticisms, or ideas you might have on how FLS can better equip our members and community to combat racism. While these actions are only small steps, it is the culmination of our individual efforts and voices that will amount to progress in the fight for equality.

Sincerely,

Rory Redmond, Hadley Middelton, Charlie Prest, & Olivia Franceschini

The Officers of the Fulton Leadership Society