Concerned Students of Middlebury: Reevaluating Middlebury’s Record with Black Students

Concerned Students of Middlebury: Reevaluating Middlebury’s Record with Black Students

Letter sent to President Patton from Concerned Students of Middlebury, a student organization, in response to a community message that she sent on May 31st. The letter calls Patton's message "tone deaf" and calls her out for: 1. conflating COVID-19 to racism; 2. framing racism as a "new" or "recent" phenomenon; 3. "The hypocrisy associated with Middlebury’s verbal allegiance to racial equity but lack of action"; 4. Failing to support Black community members; insensitive use of air as a metaphor (The statement claims that 'in a world beset by two plagues, we are gasping for air.' This use of air as a metaphor, here and throughout the message, is grossly offensive, given that George Floyd’s (and before him, Eric Garner’s) final words were 'I can't breathe'". Letter then makes a list of immediate actions to be implemented by the college: 1. an apology for Patton's letter; 2. resources specifically for Black community members to utilize during this time; resources for non-Black community members, so that they can become better allies. Finally, the Letter asks for representation of cultural organizations at the SLG meetings, as well as a student or faculty member to represent communities of color at the Board of Trustee meetings.

Concerned Students of Middlebury

The Campus

06/15/2020