RES TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (2020)- In Solidarity with Immigrants and the Undocumented Community

November 2nd, 2020 | IN SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANTS AND THE UNDOCUMENTED COMMUNITY

To Our Community,

On Friday, October 30, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation declaring November 1st as a National Day of Remembrance for Americans Killed by Illegal Aliens.  The Dream Center unequivocally rejects any attempt to criminalize or dehumanize our immigrant community.  Immigrants are integral, vital, and irreplaceable in our society and community.  They are our entrepreneurs. They are our engineers.  They are our farm workers.  They are our caregivers.  They are our professors.  They are our residential advisors. They are our students.  They are Cal Poly.

It is clear that the pandemic has further emphasized the disparities already present in our society along the lines of race, gender, class, ability, sexual orientation, and citizenship status.  We recognize this proclamation coupled with stress from the pandemic may augment feelings of isolation for immigrants.  As such, it is even more urgent that we offer our support to all those impacted.

The Dream Center will continue to support our immigrant community, challenge negative stereotypes, and create learning spaces for others.  As a higher education instittuion, we recognize a way to change fear is through education and informed dialogue.  To learn more about issues affecting the undocumented community, join us for our undocu-issues series.  We stand in solidarity with immigrants. 

Additional Resources Include:

Virtual Dream Processing Space

• Date: 11/03/2020
• Time: 7:00pm-midnight
• Link: https://calpoly.zoom.us/j/87687312878

UndocuTalk Hosted by Counseling Services

• Date: 11/04/2020
• Time: 3:00-4:00pm
• Link: http://tinyurl.com/fallundocutalk

In solidarity, 

Student Diversity & Belonging

RES TO POLICE VIOLENCE AND BLM PROTESTS (2020)- In Solidarity with Black Communities and Black Lives

June 1st, 2020 | IN SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK COMMUNITIES AND BLACK LIVES

To Our Community,

In unity with the message sent by the President's Cabinet on May 30, 2020, the coalition for Student Diversity & Belonging stand in solidarity with the Black community and Black Lives.  We explicitly condemn the acts of racism, oppression, and violence that have targeted Black individuals and communities for centuries.  Each of our partner spaces were founded on the active advocacy for equity and inclusion in higher education.  As such, we must continue to oppose injustice wherever it appears and work together to move our educational, social, economic, political, and judicial systems to a place where Black lives are not systemically devalued.  Black lives do matter, and our collective practices, discourses, and policies must reflect this.

We acknowledge that this statement serves as only one part of our active engagement in disrupting systems of inequity and injustice, and recognize that silence and inaction contribute to the maintenance of ongoing institutional racism, white supremacy, and other structural inequities. As such, we commit to continuing to critically assess our practices and programs to address anti-Blackness and center anti-racist approaches. Additionally, we invite you to engage in the recommendations from our campus leadership to "do better - and not just through our words, but with meaningful action and unbreakable conviction."  This link, a reflection of the countless contributions by our student leaders to our Cal Poly community, serves as a directory of additional resources and educational opportunities for us all to be accomplices in the fight for racial justice. 

To our Black and brown communities most directly impacted by the ongoing violence and injustice in our country: we see you, we value you, and we stand with you. We are grateful to the activist organizations in the Black community leading the way in raising issues of injustice to greater visibility and confronting power structures for real change. Our Professional Staff are here to support you, in addition to Cal Poly counseling services. 

In solidarity, 

Student Diversity & Belonging

COVID-19 INCIDENTS OF ANTI-ASIAN RACISM (2020)- In Solidarity with Asian / Asian American Communities

April 10th, 2020 | IN SOLIDARITY WITH ASIAN / ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES (COVID-19 INCIDENTS OF RACISM)

To Our Community,

We acknowledge that there have been racist attacks directed at our Asian and Asian American communities—not just on our campus, but nationally and globally. Therefore, we write to explicitly condemn these actions. Many of our Cal Poly students, staff, and faculty who have returned to residences away from San Luis Obispo may be feeling isolated in their struggles with such racism, as they no longer have access to the solidarity of in-person community. As such, it is even more urgent that we offer our support to all those impacted.

As the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans notes, “While the coronavirus represents a legitimate public health concern, it is not a ‘green light’ to target Asian Americans and Asian immigrants with racism and hate.” As we continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19, it is clear that the pandemic has only further emphasized the disparities already present in our society, whether these run on lines of race, class, ability, or citizenship status, among others. In light of this, we are called to stand together, working side by side to create change and build a society that truly encompasses equity, justice, and belonging.

We urge our community to report incidents of bias through our campus Bias Response Team and also encourage folks to report incidents using the resource STOP AAPI HATE by the Asian American Asian Pacific Islander Civil Rights Organization. The Cross Cultural Center staff are here to support you via virtual appointments, a virtual resources page that will be updated throughout the spring term, and virtual programming that prioritizes community healing, efficacy, and agency.

In solidarity, 

Cross Cultural Centers, Black Academic Excellence Center, Dream Center

WON'T BE ERASED STATEMENT (2018)- In Solidarity with Trans, Nonbinary, and Intersex Communities

October 24^th, 2018 | IN SOLIDARITY WITH TRANS, NONBINARY, AND INTERSEX COMMUNITIES

Dear Cal Poly Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni,

On Sunday, October 21^st, information was released indicating a proposed change by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the definition of "sex" as determined by federal law, which could exclude transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and intersex people from the legal and constitutional protections, privileges, and rights afforded to those in our country. We are deeply disappointed, angry, and saddened by these extremist regulatory attempts by some of our nation’s elected officials. This systematic rollback of protections has the potential to pave the way for the exclusion of members of our community in accessing comprehensive healthcare and receiving equitable education, among other aspects of everyday life. This change undermines the preponderance of law, civil and human rights, science, and medical evidence which are all united on the definitions of gender, sex, gender identity, gender expression and gender discrimination.

We are in solidarity with our transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members today, and every day.  The Cross Cultural Centers are committed to working with local, state, and national leaders to promote equity through radical love and inclusion. The fight for equity and inclusion is ongoing, but whether that fight takes us to the courts, to the ballot box, or to the streets, we will continue striving for a country in which all of us can enjoy dignity and respect.

Although an official memo has not been released at this time, the potential for redefinition promotes violence against the identities and bodies of people of all genders. There are a few things to know and do to support our Cal Poly community:

1. In California, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or intersex communities are protected under state law. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits employment discrimination and harassment of transgender workers by providing protections based on gender identity and gender expression since 2004, and since 2005 in public accommodations such as restrooms.  The Gender Recognition Act of 2017 (SB179) ensures trans and nonbinary people living or who were born in the state of California can obtain identity documents like birth certificates or state issued identification that reflect their correct gender, including a standard path to obtaining a non-binary gender marker on state documents. These strides have been made by incredibly resilient members of the gender expansive community and supportive allies who have been leading us towards inclusion, justice, and equality for all.
2. If you are a member of the trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or intersex communities, know you have a place here at Cal Poly. You are welcome in the Cross Cultural Centers (Gender Equity Center, Men & Masculinities, Multicultural Center, and the Pride Center), in all of our facilities, classrooms, labs, and campus spaces. Across Cal Poly, you will find resilient community members and allies committed towards creating an inclusive campus for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests.  Our Cal Poly and CSU policies ensure you are included here, are protected from harassment and discrimination, and are valued members of our academic community.  In 2017, Chancellor White released a statement in which the CSU system would maintain Obama-era protections and guidelines that extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity.     
3. For aspiring allies, a great practice of allyship is to reach out to those you know who are part of the trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming, or intersex communities. Text, message, call, e-mail, stop by, have a conversation. Your words, and your actions, matter; many in our community feel a visceral threat to their well-being. This may be especially true for those who are just starting to explore who they are, and how they fit in to our campus, their own families, our state and our nation as a whole. Reach out and show up.
4. State your pronouns and use inclusive language. This is a simple way you can help create a campus environment inclusive of all genders within your conversations, lectures, meetings, and other forms of communication. Using inclusive and expansive language recognizes and shows respect for people of all gender identities that are present in your spaces. Use terms such as “you all” or “y’all,” “everybody,” and “folks” to refer to a group of people.
5. Additionally, do something that indicates you are supportive of the trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming, and intersex communities and encourage others to do the same. Print out a trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming, or intersex pride banner and display it, support a national, state or local organization which addresses issues related to these communities, post on social media linking to the trending hashtag #WontBeErased, and bring the issue up with those around you in classrooms, meetings and groups you are a part of. You may also download our “You Will Not Be Erased” poster to demonstrate your solidarity with our community. Do something.

6. Lastly, we encourage members of our Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo community to express your voice in the ways that you are able.  You may contact your representatives in Washington D.C urging them to condemn this proposal and you may flex your right at the polls during the upcoming (November 6^th) and subsequent elections. 

Many in our community may need further support that extends beyond your outstretched hand and listening ear. At Cal Poly, students and those who support them are encouraged to access the resources at Counseling Services with our Campus Health & Wellbeing. Additionally, there are a few national resources available:

• The Trevor Project - 866-488-7386
• Lambda Legal - 404-897-1880
• Trans Lifeline - 877-565-8860
• Transgender Law Center - 510-587-9696
• Trans Student Educational Resources

And of course, you may always drop by our Cross Cultural Centers during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm). In addition, we will be holding several spaces this week for students, faculty, and staff to process these recent events.

We recognize we are only at the beginning of our Cal Poly school year and that stressors will only increase as the year progresses and as this particular proposal is finalized. Please continue to weave a net of connections around our transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming and intersex communities with attention to fundamental care and deep concern. 

We are here for you and we #WontBeErased,

The Cross Cultural Centers

• Gender Equity Center
• Men and Masculinities
• Multicultural Center
• Pride Center