WELCOME BACK EVERYONE AS WE MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER IT IS CLEAR THAT WE ARE BATTLING TO
VIRUSES
RIGHT NOW, RACISM AND COVID-19
AND WE MUST ADDRESS BOTH IN
ORDER TO TRULY GET THIS COUNTRY
UP AND RUNNING
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA
PRESIDENT WROTE A LETTER TO
SPRAY COMMUNITY. I WANT TO
SHARE PART OF IT
WITH YOU FOR OUR STUDENTS
FACULTY AND STAFF OF COLOR
POLICE KNOW THAT YOU’RE A SPRAY
COMMUNITY IS HERE TO SUPPORT
YOU. WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF
RACIAL TRAUMA, ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAIN ANGER SADNESS, FRUSTRATIONS AND BEER.
WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH YOU
AGAINST SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION AND
WILL ACTIVELY SEEK WAYS TO
CREATE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
WHERE ALL PEOPLE ARE VALUED
RESPECTED AND FREE FROM FEAR
AND HARM. POWERFUL WORDS THERE
AND THESE ARE THE TYPE OF
CONVERSATIONS THEY ARE RICH
AMONG THE DIVERSE GROUP OF
PEOPLE BUT HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT
ENERGY TIME TO GET INTO TRUE
CHANGE THAT ALL AMERICANS CAN
BENEFIT FROM. JOINING ME NOW TO
DISCUSS THIS MENTAL HEALTH
COUNSELOR DOCTOR RICHMOND WHEN
WITH UNF AND ORGANIZATIONAL
STRATEGIST ALSO FORMER DIRECTOR
OF ONE JAX SO LESS KRUEGER
THANK YOU ALL BOTH FOR COMING
IN AND TALKING WITH US VIA ZOOM
THIS MORNING.
YOU KNOW JUST FOR SOME
PERSPECTIVE I WANT TO SAY
GOODBYE CALL DOCTOR WHEN I SAID
HEY HOW CAN WE
ELEVATE THIS CONVERSATION AND
YOU SAID OH I HAVE ONE PLAN
WITH CELESTE WE WERE FIRST WANT
TO TALK ABOUT COVID AND HEALING
THE WORLD
AND THEN THE PROTESTS STARTED
IN THE CONVERSATION JUST
EXPANDED, SO TELL ME ABOUT SOME
THINGS THAT YOU ALL HAD
DISCUSSED AND WAYS THAT CAN
TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
>> WELL YOU I’M GLAD YOU’RE AT
LETTER FROM OR PART OF THE NEXT
OF KIN THAT LETTER PRESIDENT’S
UMANSKY BECAUSE THE FIRST THING I THINK WE NEED TO DO IS TO IS TO SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE
VIRUS OF RACISM
ACTUALLY EXISTS AND THAT MAY
SOUND SIMPLISTIC BUT THERE
THERE ARE MANY WHO DON’T EVEN
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT RACISM EXISTS
THEY BELIEVE RACISM IS OVER A
DONE DEAL EXACTLY SHOULD YOU
SHOULD YOU KNOW YOU KNOW ALL
YOU WANT, BUT IT ACTUALLY
EXISTING STRUCTURES AND
SYSTEMS.
IN GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES AND
NOT TO SLEEP IN INDIVIDUALS HAS
A PROFOUND IMPACT
HARMFUL IMPACT ON BLACK PEOPLE
BROWN PEOPLE AND
WHITE PEOPLE. EVERYBODY
IS IMPACTED SO WE’RE ALL
IMPACTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS
OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE WITH WHO
LOOKED LIKE ME HAVE A CERTAIN
EXPERIENCE WHEN WE’RE BEING
MURDERED IN THE STREETS.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
DOING THE MURDERING OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE PERPETUATING
RACISM ALSO NEGATIVELY
IMPACTED. I HAD IN THE
90 KNOW.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YEAH I WANT TO
POINT OUT BECAUSE I KEEP
HEARING THIS OVER AND OVER
AGAIN THAT THIS IS DIFFERENT
THIS TIME, IT’S DIFFERENT AND
IT DOES LOOK DIFFERENT
YOU’RE SEEING BLACK WHITE YOUNG
OLD ALL KINDS OF OF THE CITIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD COMING OUT
WORKING TOGETHER
TO PROTEST. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT
THIS WAS THAT THE VIDEO IS
IT THAT YOU KNOW FOR MANY
PEOPLE IT’S UNDENIABLE THAT
THIS MAN WAS WRONGED AND THEN
WE ALSO HAD OUR BARRY THAT WE
SAW THE IMAGES OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
>> YOU KNOW ME I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO THIS TIME THIS
PLACE NOW PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED
FROM THE CORONAVIRUS THAT VIRUS
IS TAKING ITS
HUGE HOLE PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED
PEOPLE OF BROWN AND BLACK SKIN
FROM OVER 400 YEARS
OF OPPRESSION. AND WHAT WE’VE
GOT TO REMEMBER LIKE PEOPLE IS
THAT THE REMEDIES OF THE VIRUS
OF RACISM IS THIS.
WE HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR BOTH CAUSING INCLUDING AND
SYSTEMIC RACISM.
WE HAVE TO EDUCATE OURSELVES
ABOUT
OUR PRIVILEGE. WE HAVE TO LEARN
HOW TO BE GOOD AT TIMES WE’VE
GOT TO EXAMINE
HER CONSCIENCE AND WE HAVE TO
BE ACCOUNTABLE AND I THINK THE
HORROR WATCHING THE VIDEO.
FLOYD HAS SHOCKED
US INTO RECOGNITION OF WHAT WE
HELPED CREATE FOR SO LONG EVEN
IF WE THOUGHT WE WERE IN A
SENSE. WE HAVE TO TEACH OUR
CHILDREN THAT EVERY PERSON IS
PRECIOUS AND ALL PEOPLE DESERVE
RESPECT AND DIGNITY
AND JUSTICE AND I THINK THERE’S
A WAKING UP
TO THAT SAY GOD IT’S HAPPENING
WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
60’S. BUT IT DIDN’T HAPPEN
PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BE HARMED.
THE ONLY WAY
WE CAN. WE CAN HEAL THIS THIS
IS IRIS OF BOTH COVID AND
RACISM AS WE KEEP OUR
HANDS CLEAN.
>> LET ME LET ME ASK BOTH OF
YOU AND WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME
BUT QUICKLY. EACH OF YOU TO KIND OF GIVE ME AN ANSWER ON THIS BECAUSE I’VE GOT A LOT OF
TEXT MESSAGES FROM MY WHITE
FRIENDS ASKING WHAT CAN
THEY DO. SO FROM ONE
PERSPECTIVE DOCTOR WHEN WHAT
WOULD BE MEANINGFUL
TO YOU AND THEN CELESTE ALSO
WHAT YOU WOULD THINK AND ADVISE
OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
MINORITIES.
>> WELL I THINK IT’S GOOD TO
SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT’S THE
LESS
JUST SAID. IN TERMS OF
RECOGNIZING PRIVILEGE AND
RECOGNIZING 1000 BASES AND
KNOWLEDGE IN THAT ROLE YOUR
ROLE
IN IT. I I THINK EVERY I THINK
THERE’S BEEN
MOVEMENT ALL ALONG FOR MANY
YEARS HAPPENING AND SO THIS
FEELS LIKE THIS IS DIFFERENT
WHEN IN FACT
WE WE’VE BEEN DOING THE WORK
OF SPEAKING OUT MARCHING OUT
THE DEMONSTRATIONS, SOCIAL
MEDIA HAS ADVANCED THE ENERGY
AROUND
THIS BECAUSE THESE ACTS OF
RACISM ARE EXPOSED MORE READILY
YOU 24 HOURS A DAY. I
THINK STAYING. I SAY OPEN TO
PEOPLE WHO DON’T LOOK LIKE US.
BUT OUR
OUR ALLIES THAT’S IMPORTANT TO
CONTINUE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS
AND SING IN TO REPRESENT
ACTUALLY BEEN CREATED WAYS.
DISTURBED BY THE VIOLENCE
THAT HAS COME OUT OF THE
DEMONSTRATIONS THAT OUT OF THE
MARSHES BECAUSE THAT’S NOT
REALLY THE INTENT IN NOT
BELIEVE AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE
ARE FEELING FRUSTRATED BECAUSE
IMPULSES HAVEN’T HEARD AND SO
THEY’RE ACTING OUT IN ALL KINDS
OF WAYS. I THINK WE CAN YOU
KNOW ELEVATE THOSE PROTESTS AND THOSE ACTING OUT AND BE MORE CREATIVE IS RECOGNIZING THAT
THERE. THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE
IN AND RESOURCES TO HELP AND WE
CAN CONTINUE TO HOLD PEOPLE
ACCOUNTABLE
FOR SUCH A WAY TO THE PROBLEM
SO WE HAVE TO DO ALL OF THOSE
AND CELESTE WE ONLY HAVE LIKE
20 SECONDS ON IF YOU CAN KIND
OF WRAP IT UP QUICKLY YOU CAN I
CAN’T UNDERSCORE WHAT RICHMOND
SAID ABOUT HOLDING PEOPLE
ACCOUNTABLE
WHICH MEANS.
>> WE AS WHITE PEOPLE MUST
EXAMINE HER CONSCIENCE AND HOLD
OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE AND
CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIORS. AND WE
HAVE
TO VOTE AND WE HAVE TO BE
PRESENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND
SAY NOT ON MY WATCH
THIS WILL NOT CONTINUE ON MY
WATCH THANK YOU BOTH FOR
TALKING WITH US I WANT TO
CONTINUE THE
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU ALL ARE
GOING TO TRY TO WORK TOGETHER
TO COME UP WITH SOME RESOURCES
FOR PEOPLE AND WHEN THAT