Executive Committee on #BlackLivesMatter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 19, 2014 Contact: Shaun Baluyot Interim Chief Communications Officer sbaluyot@luc.edu

STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH #BLACKLIVESMATTER MOVEMENT CHICAGO, IL - Members of the Loyola University Chicago community, Over the past few months, college students across the nation have participated in demonstrations and protests that have brought attention to police brutality and race-based violence.

After the Grand Jury decisions in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were released, college students, grassroots organizations, faith communities, and Congressional staff have continued to protest. Their voices are unified in calling upon United States governmental institutions to address the racial injustices that exist within the criminal legal system. Loyola University Chicago students, faculty, staff, and community members recently joined this call by engaging in peaceful actions during the month of December. Most recently, on December 7th, the Loyola community marched for peace and an end to violence through the streets of Rogers Park & Edgewater as part of a city-wide display of solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Consequently, we, members of the Executive Committee of the Student Government of Loyola Chicago, no longer feel we can remain idle on this matter.

In response to the protests across the nation - those happening both on and off college campuses we publicly wish to affirm the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In doing so, we recognize that the movement is more than just a hashtag - it is a movement that hopes to bring light to the injustices that Black individuals experience within the legal system of the United States; it is a movement that strives for a nation that upholds its constitutional pledge that every citizen be awarded equal treatment before the law; it is a movement that recognizes the inherent dignity and value of every human being, naming specifically the human dignity of Black persons. Holding these realities, we as leaders of the Student Government of Loyola Chicago: •

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Fully believe that students not only have the right to demonstrate but also are in agreement that our peers have the right to be upset by the killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and countless others who have fallen victim to police violence.

Acknowledge that racial disparities exist not only in cities, such as New York, Cleveland, and St. Louis, but also in our own city, Chicago. These disparities exist in almost every facet of society - ranging from police interactions to income levels to access to certain communities.

Recognize, in addition, the inequalities that exist within our own institution, Loyola University Chicago, particularly when discussing the disparities in access to higher education.

It is our Jesuit education that encourages us to think critically and reflect deeply on the realities of injustice and to fight tirelessly for a better and more just world. As Loyola students, we often hear phrases such as, cura personalis or care for the whole person, and "men and women with and for others." These phrases challenge us to orient our lives and our educations toward a greater good - and toward a world free from oppression and marginalization. Thus, we feel that we have a moral obligation to challenge systems and policies that privilege few and oppress many.

Looking ahead to the spring semester, we hope to engage further in conversations of race, access, representation, and the injustices that exist within systems that are inherently flawed. We will, first, continue to ask the Loyola student body how we can best support them. Many of the most popular and impactful events from the fall semester were the results of student ideas and student engagement. We say in earnest: we cannot do this without you. Second, we will encourage the SGLC Safety & Wellness Committee to host a Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting on campus, in order to give students the space and opportunity to have a voice in the policing strategies of local Chicago law enforcement. We will also engage in more community-oriented programming to foster relationships between community members and students. Furthermore, as Executive, we plan to continue working in partnership with our SGLC committees to collaborate on ways we can improve and diversify access to Loyola, by engaging in conversations particularly about reducing Loyola's cost of attendance.

Lastly, with this statement and our actions moving forward we hope to encourage more students to stand in solidarity with all those who are striving for an end to racial injustice in our criminal legal system. Though some of us may never know what it is like to be racially discriminated against, we all must realize that institutions of higher education should be catalysts for social change.

Father John Sobrino, S.J. relayed this very same message to us on our campus two weeks ago when he explained that the center of a Jesuit university must be outside of itself. With this in mind, we believe that Loyola, a university rooted in the Jesuit tradition, should be at the forefront in advocating for an end to racial inequality in its many manifestations.

Ultimately, we as members of the Executive Committee are deciding to join in solidarity with students who are actively participating in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Since we cannot claim to fully understand what it means to be Black in America, we write this statement as students seeking allyship who wish to encourage more students to actively fight the racial injustices that exist at every level of society.

Sincerely, Members of the Executive Committee of the Student Government of Loyola Chicago Flavio Bravo, President Michael Fasullo, Vice President Shaun Baluyot, Interim Chief Communications Officer Jared Brocklehurst, Executive Sustainability Officer Aamir Kadri, Chief of Student Organizations Zahraa Nasser, Chief Justice Maura Rocks, Chief Community Relations Officer