BFSA News

BFSA Statement on Racial & Social Justice  

First and foremost, we offer our sincerest condolences to the families of our brothers and sisters, who have lost their lives at the hands of systemic racism, unnecessary force, and biased violence. Many of us have witnessed the tragedies surrounding Black lives, resulting in the premature and egregious deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others.  We stand with our Black community as we mourn the loss of those who look like us and remind us of our very own family members. 

And, then there was the appalling harassment of Christian Cooper in New York's Central Park. This particular incident clearly demonstrates how easily a racist complaint could put a Black man in danger. Unfortunately, there are too many stories like these listed above that exist in our society.

We are thankful to our allies, who have used their voices and taken action against racism, discrimination, and social injustice. As faculty and staff of the University of South Alabama, we appreciate the statement made by our University Leadership acknowledging the death of George Floyd and others, encouraging action and conversations, and offering a listening ear. Our association will act boldly against ideas and practices backed by white supremacy, knowing that we have the support of our leaders. We offer ourselves as a sounding board to our leaders and will share the concerns and needs of our community with them. 

The University of South Alabama’s Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) has committed itself to supporting its members, other USA professionals, students, and the USA community through its mission. Part of that mission is to promote an environment fostering cultural sensitivity and enrichment. Additionally, our purpose includes the following objectives:

1. Promote cultural understanding, social justice, equity, positive race relations, fair representation, and quality of life throughout the USA campus. 
2. Hold the University accountable through direct lines of communication with the University Administration to keep issues of inclusiveness, diversity, and equity at the forefront of policymaking.

As the movements for social justice continues, we believe that this is an opportunity for our campus community to grow stronger as a diverse, equitable and inclusive institution, and show the world that “We are South” is not just a slogan. In Mobile, the country, and throughout the world, some individual citizens and communities are struggling with acknowledging their roles in the legacy of systemic racism and their responsibility in changing the culture to create a safer and better world for ourselves and the future generations. Therefore, we charge our members and this institution to commit to policies and plans wherein diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and social justice are promoted and systemic racism is not tolerated.

As members of the Black community, we all can share experiences of the stress and trauma of dealing with systemic racism on many levels. And, in higher education, systemic racism does exist. The nation's long legacy of racism continues to damage and destroy the lives of black and brown people. For those of you who may be struggling with the emotions of witnessing countless Black lives being taken, comments about our brothers and sisters that are unloving and thoughtless, and/or the lack of laws and policies to protect the nation's people, please seek out a listening ear and make self-care a priority. 

USA has services for students through the Counseling and Wellness Center at https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/counseling/, as well as faculty and staff through Human Resources at https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/financialaffairs/hr/eap/. Additionally, some services can be provided by the Psychology Clinic at https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/psychology/psychologyclinic/.

With all of the traumatic events going on around our country, BFSA wants you to know we are standing strong with you. Until a few weeks ago, racial data for COVID-19 was sparse; however, we are now seeing more and more data published concerning the pattern of the coronavirus and its racial impact. Although gaps remain, it is that communities of color are being hit disproportionately hard by this pandemic. Published data shows that nation-wide, African American deaths from COVID-19 are nearly two times greater than would be expected based on their share of the population. Couple this with the increased tension in race relations, and it fosters an atmosphere of anxiety, trauma, and depression.

BFSA stands in solidarity with many offices across our campus against discrimination and injustices that exist in our own institution, in our communities, in our state, in our nation, and around the world. We believe that if we stand together, we can ensure the social injustices we’ve witnessed on social media and in the news will not occur on the USA campus.

We stand with our University President, and we are grateful for the meaningful change he has worked to implement. We have had a meeting and will continue to meet with University Leadership to discuss the details of a diversity and inclusion plan, wherein proactive enforcement of policies to promote equal opportunity, the development of access and success initiatives, dynamic recruitment, retention, and promotion of faculty of color, as well as other ideals will be presented as priorities. While there have been important achievements made at USA, we have more work to do. 

As the BFSA leadership, we are strongly committed to our mission and to be agents of change for all of our students, faculty, and staff. We all deserve a safe and welcoming space to learn, teach, conduct research, work, and serve. 

Sincerely,

BFSA Executive Board

2023 Education Summit KeyNote Speaker Joshua Jones

2023 Dr. MLK Jr. Prayer Breakfast