June 13, 2020

Class Coordinating Board writes this message with deep sadness of the painful reality that has been transpiring in our nation, one supposedly rooted in equality, for the last couple of months. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Riah Milton, and Dominique Fells, are just a few of the innocent black people whose lives have fallen victim to police brutality. These heinous acts serve as a reminder that systemic racism and oppression of black people are still alive and are major facets of our country today. CCB wholeheartedly supports the Black Lives Matter movement and stands with the black community in solidarity during these dark times. It is difficult to find words to capture the heartbreak we feel. 

One of CCB’s purposes is to support the undergraduate community by creating a safe environment for all students at Brown. In particular, we wish to offer our continued support for the Black community and people of color. CCB will be donating a total of $3000. The first $1,500 will be to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Furthermore, we will be matching an additional $1500 donated to the Rhode Island Solidarity Fund. Please email your receipts for new donations. Even if we do not receive enough donations to match, we will still be donating the full $1500.

It is now, more than ever, that we need to remind each other of the power of our voices, our actions, and words so that we can ensure a better future for members of the black community. 

Everyone is watching: it is time we show them what our collective voices can accomplish!

What can we do as an organization to help combat racial injustices in Brown/our country?

CCB takes a strong stance against the discrimination and harm that institutions across the country have unfairly subjected the Black community to. At all events, CCB hopes to create spaces where all students, especially people of color and members of marginalized communities, feel safe and welcomed. In order to ensure inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in both our class boards and our many events, CCB established an Ombudsperson and the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee in October 2018. We work to make sure all of our events are free, and for the few events that are not, such as Gala and Senior Week, we offer financial aid.

Class Board must acknowledge that we, historically, have had the Brown Department of Public Security (DPS) at large events such as Gala and A Night On College Hill. We understand that this makes many people uncomfortable, especially those in the black and disabled community and that the police presence at large events may put students in positions of risk. 

Due to Event Management Staffing requirements by the Student Activities Office (SAO), we are required to have additional security at events that have 300+ attendees, like Gala and ANOCH. We wholeheartedly invite any interested students to participate in conversations regarding the presence of DPS at student events, and particularly the following: 

• Eliminating DPS arrest powers

• Renegotiate the requirement to have DPS at large student events (300+) 

• Minimizing the number of DPS officers present at events, with a greater focus on Brown Event Support Services (ESS) 

The Diversity & Inclusion committee on Class Board is leading this initiative to combat racial injustice on our campus. To participate in these conversations or give valuable insight or feedback to us, please reach out to CCB. Together with the undergraduate community, we must take a stand and work to become more informed and responsible.

Resources for Students at Brown

We would like to introduce the following resources available at Brown institutions. We also encourage Brown students to engage in and assist the various communities that exist beyond College Hill. There are many resources available for free for students to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement.

• BCSC Check-In Meetings (8:30am - 5:00pm EST)

• Shontay Delalue Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity

• Jen Hunter, Brown Athletics Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives 

• List of Brown Courses that Address Systemic Racism and Blackness created by Sierra Fang-Horvath (Insta) 

• UFLi Center 

• Maitrayee Bhattacharyya Diversity & Inclusion Dean 

• CAPS: Will Meek, Director of Counseling at CAPS*

During the school year, CAPS has a support group for Black women - please email Will Meek for more information. In addition, we would like to link particular statements and resources that we feel would be useful for students who would like to learn more or donate.

Self-Education 

• Noname Book Club→ Instagram: @nonamereads

  (Working on making texts much more accessible to readers) 

• Support Black-owned book stores- you can order online!

• Virtual Black-Owned Bookstores

• Black-Owned Bookstores/In-Person Anti-Racism Book Club Meeting Sites 

• If you’re more comfortable reading in Spanish→ www.librosinespanol.com & www.palabrasbookstore.com

• Combatting anti-racism in the Latinx community- Spanish language document

Netflix/Hulu Shows:

View the Black Lives Matter/More Than A Moment category on Netflix, where they have compiled a list of movies and shows that highlight black voices and stories as well as combat anti-blackness and systemic racism. We have included a few below:

• 13th: Free on Youtube 

• Just Mercy: Free for the Month of June

• When They See Us: Netflix 

• Moonlight

• Selma

• Crime + Punishment: Hulu

• BlacKKKlansman

• The Death & Life of Marsha P Johnson

• American Son

How to talk to friends and family about the Black Lives Matter Movement: 

• Black Lives Matter Explained to Parents (Cosmopolitan)

• How to talk to White Relatives about Racism (Instyle)

• How to Thoughtfully Talk about Racial Inequality with our Coworkers (CNBC)

• A Letter from Young Asian Americans to Their Families About Black Lives Matter (NPR)

Please also see additional statements made by the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) and other Brown organizations in the Brown Daily Herald.

Closing

As students of Brown, we are in a unique position of privilege where we can spread the word and demand change. We hope to motivate Brown students to continue having difficult conversations with family members and peers beyond the span of these past two weeks in order to prompt change and foster a welcoming and inclusive community. 

Black Lives Matter - now and always.

In Solidarity,

Class Coordinating Board 

Ella Joshi ‘21, Senior Co-President
Nick Correia ‘21, Senior Co-President
Bailie Salk ‘21, Senior Vice President
Bree Zhang ‘22,  Junior President
Mel Cui ‘22, Junior Vice President
Carina Sandoval ‘23, Sophomore Community Outreach Officer

If you have any suggestions on how to make our events more accessible and inclusive, we again encourage you to reach out to the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee or by emailing classboard@brown.edu.

As students of Brown, we are in a unique position of privilege where we can spread the word and demand change. We hope to motivate Brown students to continue to have difficult conversations with family members and peers beyond the span of these past two weeks in order to prompt change and foster a welcoming and inclusive community.