Dear Faculty and Staff,
In solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the Lafayette Student Government Equity & Inclusion Committee is spearheading an educational fundraising campaign with 24 additional student organizations. The fundraising campaign, Lafayette Students for Racial Justice, is supporting three organizations that are supporting the Black community during these times of racial injustice: The POWER Bail Fund of the Lehigh Valley, the Atlanta-based Homeless Black Trans Women Fund, and Black Lives Matter Greater New York. From aiding protestors on the front lines, to supporting homeless Black Trans women, and furthering legislative reform on behalf of Black communities, the three organizations encompass intersections of the movement that we seek to support. The fundraiser officially began on June 11th and will continue until June 26th. Thus far, we’ve raised over $9,500, but we are empowered to hit our ultimate goal of $20,000.
Along with the fundraising efforts, the co-sponsoring organizations have been paired up into ten groups to use their platforms to educate our Lafayette community on themes pertaining to racial injustice. It is vital now more than ever that we actively facilitate these important conversations and encourage our community to delve deeper into the systemic barriers that underserved communities face in their daily lives. While racial injustice continues to prevail today, there are several more social justice issues that intersect with the current dialogue we face in our nation about racism. For this reason, many of the themes that will be explored throughout the campaign include: Environmental Racism, Racial Health Disparities, School-to-Prison Pipeline, War on Drugs, and many more. In this manner, we are reaching out with a call to action to support us, the students, in this movement. From actively engaging with our student-led campaign, to tackling these challenges by having crucial conversations in the classroom and on campus, every step gets us closer to change. Thank you for supporting us in these fundraising and educational endeavors.
To donate, visit https://givebutter.com/laf_racialjustice. To view educational materials and resources and find out about our efforts, follow us on Instagram @laf_racialjustice.
Thank you,
The Lafayette Student Government Equity & Inclusion Committee