I have tried to find this posted somewhere, so I could just create a link, but I can’t. So I’ve chosen to post the entire thing. I hope this doesn’t violate anything; if it does, and has to be removed, I hope the mods let me know exactly what’s up. Maybe I can try to post it some place myself, and then link to it.
It is a letter that Gallaudet students, alumni, and benefactors received from the President of the university a couple of days ago, assuring us that the school would remain open through the last two weeks of the Trump administration, and the inauguration.
It’s just an interesting slice of what life is like for those who live in DC.
Dear Gallaudet community:
As we reflect upon what happened at the United States Capitol yesterday – the rioting, the violence, the disruption of the electoral vote certification process – I first want to assure you that the Gallaudet campus is safe and secure. Thank you to the Department of Public Safety, the Gallaudet and Clerc Center leadership teams, and all essential workers for ensuring the safety of our campus. Please continue to follow all campus closure guidelines, local curfews, and COVID-19 safety protocols.
As we work through our feelings and try to process and understand what happened, let us remember our nation’s most fundamental values: the value of peace, the value of civility and mutual respect, the value of democracy, and the value of freedom in America.
For more than 200 years, we have had a form of government that both respects and demands the peaceful transfer of power. That transition has been the bedrock of American democracy.
Our thoughts are with the Members of Congress and their staff. Gallaudet and Congress have worked closely together for more than 156 years to bring education, prosperity, and success to deaf people. We recognize the importance of their role in assuring that we uphold the values of our Constitution that we hold dear.
What we witnessed on Wednesday at the United States Capitol was horrific and traumatic for nearly everyone. It also exacerbated for many in our community, particularly people of color, minorities, and deaf people, more fear and concern about further oppression, violence, and destruction. I acknowledge this pain, frustration, and deep concern about what these events challenging the outcome of the Presidential election will mean for members of our community. Please take time to share your experiences with each other. I have hope that we can still come together as a country to continue to build an America where everyone has full equity and access.
These past several months have been severely challenging for our nation – but we are strong. I firmly believe that our shared humanity is more powerful than our differences. It is why we must focus on our anti-racism work. In this spirit, I ask us to listen more, be curious about those who do not see the world in the same way we do, and try to find common ground to build a stronger future. We cannot look to others to do this work first. It must begin with us in our community, the Gallaudet community, and the deaf community, both here and globally.
The resolve to preserve and protect our democracy is strong. My hope is that this resolve will serve as a wake-up call to our nation, and that it will renew our commitment to civil discourse and mutual respect, restore our democratic norms, and allow us to continue our journey as a nation to become a more perfect union by ensuring that every person in our nation equally experiences the benefits, rights, and opportunities promised to us through the ideals of freedom, equity, and justice embedded in our Constitution.
Deaf people, and our Gallaudet community, are resilient. America is resilient. As Abraham Lincoln said, ours is a government that is of, by, and for the people, and it “shall not perish from the earth.”
The Clerc Center and Gallaudet University remain operational. During the days and weeks ahead, let us be compassionate with each other, listen and support each other, and be sensitive to the wide variety of ways people have in coping and struggling with what we just experienced as a nation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Roberta J. Cordano
President