President Napolitano sent the following message to all UCOP staff on Sunday, May 31.

To the University of California community:

I write to share with you the statement of my outrage over the senseless and tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota, and the many Black lives lost before him.

Like many of you, I am incensed over the continued brutality against people of color in communities across the country and I condemn, in the strongest terms possible, abuses of power by those charged with enforcing the law. We also must condemn the acts of violence that have infected lawful, peaceful protests, and not let those actions distract us from confronting the fundamental issues that George Floyd’s killing made so evident.

As we react with disbelief on the state of our country, we must also reflect on the brutal history that got us to this point – and where we go from here. We must examine our own biases and find a way to eliminate the systemic racial inequities that pervade our country in order to effect real and lasting change. We must ensure that every American life is valued and protected equally in the eyes of the law. Only then can we heal, together, as a nation.

Fundamentally, this is about upholding one of America’s, and UC’s, bedrock principles: that all people are equal, and deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. We all deserve to live, work and go about our lives without fear.

Yours very truly,

Janet Napolitano
President

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