Dear Members of the MassBay Community:
Over the weekend, our nation witnessed racism and hatred in unsettling, ugly, and tragic forms on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville. Without hesitation or equivocation, we must call out racism, antisemitism, and bigotry each and every time we see it. My heart goes out to the victims who lost their lives, to all the injured, and to the families and friends in mourning for their loved ones.
In these uncertain times, I want all of our students to be certain in the fact that MassBay remains committed to making sure you feel safe and supported at our institution. Our core values guide us to respect and honor all members of our community, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, language, or citizenship status.
Bigotry, in its many forms, has always been a part of our nation’s history, but it doesn’t have to be part of our future. The work of changing hearts and minds, dismantling racism and systems of oppression, is not easy, but our obligation to do so has never been more clear.
As an institution of higher learning, we have the responsibility to confront uncomfortable truths, to understand each of our roles in upholding systems of oppression, to examine our own biases, and to educate ourselves of the history that led us to this moment. That work is on all of us. Let us commit to doing it together. We have a lot to do.
Sincerely,
David Podell
President