CWPA POCC Statement of Solidarity
On November 28th, 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center released their report “Ten Days After: Harassment and intimidation in the aftermath of the election.” In the report, the SPLC states that in the ten days following the election people reported 867 incidents of hate crimes with 104 occurring on college campuses. According to the report, students most targeted were immigrants, Black, Muslim, LGBT, and Jewish.
In light of these events we, the CWPA People of Color Caucus, find it necessary to affirm our support for and solidarity with our students of all abilities, who come from racially, ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse backgrounds, and who are members of the LGBT community. We are showing this solidarity as a caucus and do not represent the CWPA as a whole. We appreciate the commitment to diversity President Susan Miller-Cochran has shown with her statement posted on the CWPA website and urge all members of the council to address these concerns at their institutions and in their classrooms.
As the POCC, we will always strive to create sanctuaries for marginalized groups on our campuses. As WPAs, faculty members, writing instructors, and graduate students we believe that language matters and we vow to devote our work to support the most vulnerable of our students.