The NAPE Center’s Support of Anti-Racism
Dear members of the NAPE community,
The NAPE Center Leadership strongly re-affirms our Diversity and Inclusion policy as posted on our professionalism policy . We strive to create and sustain a research and training environment in which aldl of our members can thrive. The current news reports focus our attention on the horrifying examples of racism, and these disturbing images remind us of the constant challenges our Black colleagues experience. We are a diverse group of researchers, students, and fellows, and we stand by our principles of inclusivity and equity. We condemn the violence, systemic racism, and covert oppression experienced by too many of our friends and colleagues. We stand with our community leaders who are using their platforms to foster open dialogues, create community, and bring compassion and kindness to others. We stand in remembrance of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, Manuel Ellis and the numerous other victims of senseless, racist violence.
To our Black colleagues: We support you. We acknowledge the deep pain, trauma, and extra distress that you are carrying. We acknowledge how important it is to actively challenge the racism in our society to overcome centuries of insidious practices. These pervasive attitudes and the racist encouragement of them are just not tolerable; they never have been. Some of us may have naively thought that we had been making progress excising that thinking, but the news reports clearly show that we as a society still have a long way to go.
We want to reiterate that if you witness or experience anything at UW that you find offensive, please let a member of the NAPE Leadership whom you trust know, and we will do whatever we can to address your concerns. We hope you understand how seriously we take these issues.
On behalf of the NAPE Center leadership,
Dr. Charles Chavkin, PhD.
NAPE Center Director