Dear Pacificans,
 
Today we join others across the nation in observing the one-year anniversary of the brutal death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer. George Floyd's murder galvanized people worldwide to join in the fight for social justice, spreading protests worldwide and spurring a racial epiphany over years of injustices against Black people. His killing, viewed by millions, jolted the country, institutions and individuals into a time of mourning, reflection and action in the movement for real and sustainable change.

While last month’s verdict found Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts, today is a solemn reminder of the social injustices that Black Americans continue to endure. We mourn with those living with the impact from the events over the past year and the centuries of systemic racism, and affirm our commitment to emerge as a national leader on diversity, equity and inclusion, to become a model antiracist university. 

Pacific continues to advance its work on DEI. Last August, I articulated a set of short-term goals that align with our core values and principles. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our students, faculty, staff and Regents, we have made great progress on our DEI initiatives. This is the beginning of our work and we must continue to advance our efforts together to realize a future that is fair and just.

Knowing this may be a difficult day for members of our community, we offer these resources:

For students:

• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
• Intercultural Student Success: iss@pacific.edu
• Office of the Dean of Students: 209.946.2365 or deanofstudents@pacific.edu (916.739.7089 or sacstudentaffairs@pacific.edu for McGeorge; 415.749.3342 or sf_sa@pacific.edu for Dugoni)
• Religious and Spiritual Life (A resource for people of all faith and non-faith identities): religiouslife@pacific.edu

For employees:

• Employee Assistance: 888.327.9573 or www.guidanceresources.com
• Ombudsperson: Hector Escalante hescalante@pacific.edu or 209.932.3017
• Human Resources: 
  • Stockton: human_resources@pacific.edu 
  • Sacramento: sacramentocampushr@pacific.edu 
  • San Francisco: sfhr@pacific.edu 

Resource for anyone in the campus community to report incidents of bias:

• Bias Response Team: website and reporting form

External resources to gain understanding and support colleagues impacted or to receive additional personal support can be found here:

• George Floyd Memorial Foundation
• National Museum for African-American History and Culture (Topic: Self-Care)
• Bystander Intervention Training
• Mental Health Association of San Francisco Warm Line
• Each Mind Matters
• Mental Health California
• TED Talks to understand racism in America

We commit to honoring George Floyd’s legacy today and in all our actions moving forward to be a more equitable and inclusive institution.

Sincerely,

Christopher Callahan
President