From the Interim President
Rays of Hope
June 18, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
I want to be in touch with you today on a personal note, on what feels very much a day of hope – a convergence of positive steps forward on many levels.
Needless to say, every day still brings news about the racism that is the lived daily experience of our Black students and colleagues. Yet here at De Anza we are clearly committing to anti-racist work, and acknowledging and changing our own institutional structures and practices. On the national level, protests continue against racism, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement – so many events organized by students, and shining rays of hope. Tomorrow will see a renewed focus on Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in Texas, the last state to officially hear the news of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Today, the Supreme Court upheld DACA, in a rebuke to the Trump administration and its attempt to end the program. Yesterday, a federal judge blocked the U.S. Department of Education from placing eligibility restrictions on CARES Act funding to undocumented California Community College students – a lawsuit in which Foothill-De Anza is proud to be a plaintiff.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that employment discrimination protections extend to our LGBTQ+ community – yet another victory for civil and human rights. This is a welcome counter to the Trump administration’s decision last week to eliminate healthcare nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
I’m feeling hopeful today, and attending the many wonderful end-of-year celebrations at De Anza have been a part of that. Today I'm looking forward to the end-of-year celebration for the IMPACT AAPI program. Tomorrow, we will celebrate at both the Black Graduation and Achievement Ceremony and the Latinx Graduation. And next week, we will honor all De Anza graduates. There is so much hope, so much love, so much potential for action, for the success of our students, and for the good of our communities, the country and the world.
Kindly,
Christina
Christina G. Espinosa-Pieb
(Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Herself/Ella)
Interim President