To Members of the Peabody Community,
By now I hope you have taken the opportunity to read the message from President Daniels and other university-health system leadership regarding the events of the past week, and its devastating effects on many communities across the nation. We at Peabody join others across the university in adding our voice to a call for justice, fairness, and equity in light of the death of George Floyd, and too many others who have come before him. While we cannot countenance senseless violence and those who would exploit the grief of others for their own ends, the vast majority of protesters in recent days are giving voice to the reality those of us who are not regularly and systematically exposed to injustice can only imagine in terms of the pain and indeed, terror, to which many communities of color are regularly subjected.
Peabody is an increasingly diverse community that has, like our larger university and the field of performing arts, struggled with its own mixed past when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have worked hard in recent years to change that dynamic, but let us rededicate ourselves today to that cause and remember that when one single member of our community is discriminated against and treated unfairly, we are all diminished by that single act of injustice.
Today our thoughts are with our community, Baltimore, and the nation.
Sincerely,
Fred Bronstein
Dean