Outdoor event to discuss strategies on eliminating systemic racism
Dakota County Technical College is hosting Unity in Community, an outdoor event, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at 5 p.m. in the Visitors Parking Lot (north of the college’s main front entrance; park in West Parking Lot) on the DCTC main campus in Rosemount, Minnesota.
Michael Birchard, associate vice president of equity and inclusion at DCTC and Inver Hills Community College, reported that Unity in Community is a response to the crisis caused by the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis Police Department officers May 25, 2020.
“Our community members in Minneapolis and St. Paul have suffered great pain over the murder of George Floyd,” Michael said, “and parts of their communities were devastated while confronting systemic racism in our society. The pain of our relatives is felt beyond the borders of their neighborhoods. As we begin to heal and recover, we must find ways to dismantle and interrupt persistent racism within our systems.”
Michael added that Unity in Community has a two-fold purpose. “First, we are asking each individual or family to bring diapers—especially sizes 4-6, pull-ups, wipes, and formula that will be donated to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Holy Trinity is providing resources to families affected by the destruction. Second, South Minneapolis residents and educators, Lisa and Sam Mitchell, will facilitate a conversation around the idea charity does not equal change, and does not fix what is broken and ultimately led us to this place. Together, as a community, we will discuss strategies we can implement for sustainable changes toward a more just future.”
WHAT: Unity in Community
WHEN: Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Visitors Parking Lot
Rosemount Campus
Dakota County Technical College
1300 145th Street East
Rosemount, MN 55068Everyone is welcome.
Park in the West Parking Lot.
Please, practice social distancing and consider wearing a mask.
Photograph by Xena Goldman
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
Lilla Watson
Murri visual artist, activist and academic
Learn more about Unity in Community at DCTC by contacting:
Michael Birchard
Associate Vice President of Equity and Inclusion
Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College
651-423-8535
