Black Lives Matter

The nearly 9 minutes of horror occurring on the streets of Minneapolis on May 25 is a monumental crisis that has shaken our nation to its core. Videos of George Floyd’s murder, currently alleged but clear in videos, are sad, unbelievable, inconceivable, sickening, and enraging, but seeing marches and protests evolve in a peaceful manner and include faces of all colors is hopeful. We as a nation and individually have a long way to go to ensure that such tragedies never happen again, and I hope that we are seeing first steps in that direction. 
 
As President Conoley said on June 1, "We at the Beach are vehemently against police brutality and racial injustice. The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others have sparked protests across the nation. We fully support and stand by the black community at the Beach whose lives, health and safety are intimately impacted."

As a recent Instagram post by the COB Center for Student Success indicates, "The systemic injustices the Black community has experienced and continues to face are unacceptable. We must actively work together to end these injustices in areas where we hold privilege."

COB is exploring ways to help our Long Beach community, and I am affirming that for COB and me personally, Black Lives Matter: We see you, We stand with you, and You matter to us.

Michael Solt, Dean
College of Business