Hi Everyone,

We hope that all of you, your families, and your loved ones are finding ways to stay healthy and protected right now, all things considered. We wanted to start out with an apology for our silence up until this point, we understand that “silence is violence,” and we wanted to make sure that we could come to you all with better formed ideas and plans for action. 

Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade, are just four of the many innocent black people that have been unjustly murdered, this year alone. These murders are abhorrent acts of violence that although disturbing, are never surprising. America was built and founded by systemic racism, and it continues to operate on the foundation of a system built to oppress black people and disappear black bodies. We won’t say that “we stand against racism,” “we stand against injustice,” or “we believe black lives matter,” because at the end of the day, that should be a given, always. 

The America we have seen these past few days is one that has the power to create everlasting change, though that could mean many different things, and so we all have a responsibility to take action in pursuit of positive reformation for this country. Words, feelings of shock, anger, and condemnation only go so far --- it is up to us to fight to support our Black brothers and sisters, and against the system that kills them, with action. There are many comprehensive national guides on ways to help, however, we wanted to share with you some TEDxUofM-specific ways you can take action. 

We also recognize that it is important as a club to continuously create a safe space for all and tackle injustice as best we can. We will be transforming our salons this year into a mini-series, each addressing a different subtopic in regards to race in America, as systemic racism affects every single aspect of our lives, and it is essential that we begin to understand how, and share that with our community. We are also brainstorming different fundraising ideas so that we can use the revenue to target specific organizations that we are passionate about supporting. 

If there are more responsibilities that you feel we have, or if you have more ideas that you would like to see carried through, please do not hesitate to reach out. Remember to start discussions and engagee in conversations with the people in your life, challenge their biases as you challenge your own. Our mission is to promote discussions on how we can better ourselves and the world around us, and those changes have to come from within. Remember, if you aren’t getting uncomfortable, you’re not doing the work.

We also want to remind everybody not to forget about their mental health right now. In times as historical as these, it is easy to focus on all external events and traumas, forgetting about yourself and the effect that they have on your psyche. Remember to spend time with yourself and the things that bring you peace, as I hope we are all pursuing an education that will bring us nothing but unrest.