On Monday, June 8, the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees released the following message:

Dear Delta College Community,

As one body with one voice, we the members of the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees declare our anger and frustration over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, the latest in a series of senseless killings of African-American men, women and children that enflames our deep concern over the systemic racism that has permeated this country for centuries.

This has to stop.

The events of recent weeks are especially painful because we take such pride in the diversity of our College district, including our African-American friends and neighbors, community partners, employees and especially our students.

We feel their anguish. It is heartbreaking.  

We call upon leaders at all levels of our society to step up and begin a dialogue that can lead to real, meaningful answers.  As an educational institution, Delta College recognizes and accepts its leadership role in providing classes, resources, opportunities for discussion, and support for nurturing intellectual growth and understanding that leads to recognizing the beauty, diversity and contribution of all ethnic groups in the Central Valley of California, the nation and the world beyond.

We commend protesters, including our own students and staff of all ethnicities, who have made their voices heard in a peaceful manner.

We commit to making Delta College a beacon of hope for all who have been marginalized or disenfranchised, a place where they will be treated at all times with the honor and dignity they deserve, a place where they will have equal footing with those who come from more privileged backgrounds. Delta College will continue its efforts in hiring a faculty, staff and administration that reflects the diversity of our community. Where there are gaps in success or inclusion for any group, we will recognize them and work toward eliminating them.

Finally, we challenge each and every person to tap into the love, empathy and compassion that are innate to our existence as human beings, and allow those characteristics to shape the way we treat others every single day.

To the African-American community, to our own employees and to our own students:

We stand with you.

Sincerely,

Janet Rivera, President

Dr. Charles Jennings, Vice President

C. Jennet Stebbins, Clerk

Van Ha To-Cowell

Dr. Teresa Brown

Steve Castellanos, FAIA

Catherine Mathis, M.D.