Beavers Against Hate Pledge

“I would like us to do something unprecedented: to create ourselves without finding it necessary to create an enemy.” — James Baldwin

Issue

Throughout the history of this country, and specifically right now, we are witnessing violence and hate aimed toward so many communities that are represented at ARC. Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American, Black, trans and queer, Latinx, Native American, immigrant, Sikh, Jewish, Muslim and so many other communities are reeling from the constant threat of hate enacted upon their lives and communities.

Simultaneously, all of us are facing a new wave of mass shootings fueled by hate and bias across the country. We must come together and state clearly and unequivocally that hate has no place at ARC and that we advance love, solidarity, and community in the face of hate.

Take the Pledge

Commitment to Social Justice and Equity

American River College strives to uphold the dignity and humanity of every student and employee. We are committed to equity and social justice through equity-minded education, transformative leadership, and community engagement. We believe this commitment is essential to achieving our mission and enhancing our community.

Violence and hate incidents are not isolated and are symptoms of larger systemic acts of exclusion and structural oppressions. Still, showing that there are more of us committed to this change than those causing the harm and perpetuating hate can make a powerful impact on feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

This institutional commitment to equity and social justice is only as strong as our ongoing collective commitments. We as learners and educators must individually take action and be accountable to actively extending these values across our campus. For this reason, we encourage our community to take the #BeaversAgainstHate Pledge.

By taking the #BeaversAgainstHate Pledge, you are making a public commitment to engage in at least three of the action steps below - one in each category. We encourage you to do many or all of these and come back to sign the Completion of Pledge form detailing the actions you took. We also encourage you to show that commitment online by using the hashtag and tagging @ARCNewsToday on Instagram or Twitter.

American River College as a college commits to providing professional development and training opportunities to address systemic bias, hate, and discrimination.

Take Action

The ARC community will act in solidarity with all and affirm and defend our values of equity and social justice. In an effort to challenge the frequent feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, we encourage you to take the pledge and engage in at least three of the action steps below - one in each category. Our commitments cannot and do not stop at the pledge or in three acts of solidarity and community. We hope that these actions can create the space toward an ongoing commitment of action, community, and learning leading to a change in lifestyle.

Below are opportunities to build more knowledge, deepen our sense of community, and develop skills to become an active agent of change on campus and in the world (some of these are ARC-specific events).

One way to act is to use your influence to amplify the voice and visibility of marginalized and under resourced students, faculty, and staff. Support the many programs designed to support students in their journeys through ARC.

Pledge to do one or more of the following:

1. Make a donation to the Beaver Cares Program (the Program Fund directly supports emergency student support initiatives including providing basic needs support to students).
2. Attend and/or amplify an event hosted by the Native American Resource Center, Black Student Success Center, UndocuScholar Center, PRIDE Center, PRISE, PUENTE, Umoja, a People of Color student organization and/or any of our Los Rios Employee Resource Groups.
3. Additionally, you can post pictures on social media to encourage others to join you in attending. Remember to tag @ARCNewsToday and/or the student organization(s) or departments hosting.
4. Patronize the businesses of People of Color communities which includes restaurants, shops, the arts, etc. Share on social media and recommend to others.

Take Action by Learning More About Communities

We can all learn more about communities whether we belong to them or we are working to build solidarity with them. Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning for more information on opportunities.

We encourage you to attend at least one of the following events.

Together We Pledge