Mills College has struggled financially for years and with the Revised Financial Stabilization Plan of 2017 (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/17/mills-college-declares-financial-emergency-and-plans-layoffs-and-curricular-reform) having been in effect, the Mills community deserves to know exactly how the school has benefitted (or not) in result. We are not looking for a media team crafted response, we want to see the numbers. Mills College is a business and it cannot exist without its students, many of whom question their trust in the administration after a short time at the school. In order to build and maintain trust, the school must be prepared to share where tuition and fees are going and why we are seeing the school deteriorate (even pre-COVID condition). Lab equipment is broken, Arts Departments are being cut and defunded, the History department is down to one full professor, we lost our Philosophy department and plenty of majors, and accessibility on campus is nonexistent for many disabilities, the list goes on. Much of our student population lacks support in one way or another with the support of Black, Undocumented, Disabled, Indigenous, Low-Income, First-Gen, and beyond being minimal and performative. Many donors and prospective students are being lied to. Students and recent alums are prepared to share their stories about Mills publicly. We care about the future of our school and we need to be informed as to where our money is going and who it is serving. If the institution won't welcome and value the input and thoughts of students and alums, then what is the value of a Mills education? The school has strong Economics professors- so why is the administration hiring outside contractors instead of listening to invested and qualified community members? Mills needs to be honest about its struggles if they are truly so bad that the college cannot afford to fix the many issues students see daily. Release the reports, records, whatever proves how much the school brings in and where it all goes. We're tired of wondering and while the Board of Trustees holds the Officers accountable, the students must hold the institution accountable. We see this as an opportunity of growth, transparency, and community building. We ask signers to share this with those in your Mills networks. Please don't keep us in the dark, Mills.

Stop the spread of Covid-19 Gives health professional more data to go by to make sure it's safe for children to return. Mental health of our children. Gives the schools time to prepare for smaller class sizes

The benefits of a small school go far beyond academic achievement and test scores. Small schools are able to tailor instruction to meet the needs of individual students while also fostering leadership and social-emotional skills. During this uncertain time, it is so important to be able to nurture our students further and pray that Christ continues to guide them on their educational paths! Please, consider allowing Pythagoras Children's Academy to expand and serve our existing community!

Symbolic value is important. Statues represent the ethos and values of the people of California, as well as placing honor in the character, successes or challenges a figure symbolizes. It is time to replace the California statues in Washington, DC with public comment opportunity.

We call for Berkeley Unified School District to create thoughtful ways of working with students that engender an inclusive, respectful and transformative environment for learning. The Berkeley High School website states that "we treat each other with respect and act with integrity" and yet the real life experiences and stories of Black students is daily accounts of the mistreatment of Black students, a pattern of being pulled from class, unlawfully searched and aggressively handled at the hands of the police. The presence of police in a place of learning promotes the criminalization rather than education of our students of color and sends the wrong impression to all our students. Together we demand the dismantling of the current police state climate that is an everyday reality for our students and transform the educational environment from one that hinders to one that fosters all of our young people’s ability to explore, grow and manifest their full capacities and gifts.

Mississippi is currently being represented by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and James Zachariah George, Confederate General. These statues were donated to National Statuary Hall in 1931. Earlier this year, there was even word that James Z. George was moved to the boiler room of the U.S. Capitol because his legacy was too contemptible to mention during Capitol tours. Also, neither of these figures were even born in Mississippi. The National Statuary Hall Collection is a chamber in the United States Capitol comprised of individual states donating two statues each to honor deceased people notable in that state's history that is seen by people from across the world. Since its opening, National Statuary Hall has had at least seven states replace their statues including Mississippi's neighbor Alabama with four more states undergoing the process of replacement. This trend was made possible by legislation enacted in 2000 as a way to bring the Hall Collection into the 21st century. Mississippi has the highest percentage of black people in America at a whopping 37.3% according to the 2010 census. Furthermore, Mississippi has the highest number of black elected officials. So, why is Mississippi being represented nationally by figures that are known for dehumanizing a considerable part of Mississippi's demographic? This is not how Mississippi deserves to be represented today. With a history as rich as Mississippi's, we are currently missing a prime opportunity to showcase our biggest and brightest such as B.B. King, Eudora Welty, Medgar Evers, Jim Henson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. James D. Hardy, Elvis Presley, and many more. This national moment calls for swift, decisive action. I urge you to use your platform and publicly support the replacement of Mississippi's national Confederate statues. Together, we are all one Mississippi. Let's get this done!

Symbols of racism propagate racism. Symbols of hope propagate hope. Let's put Tennessee on the right side of history.

Based on current statistics in the United States, kids represent only 3.5% of confirmed cases and only .01% of deaths! In Kentucky, there has been ONE death in the 29 and under category – and that death, of a 6 month old – the one referenced in the June 5th Board meeting - based on admission from our Governor was not directly due to the virus. “While COVID-19 was not the lead cause of death, Beshear said, it will be counted in the coronavirus death toll, as has been custom.” https://www.wlky.com/article/coronavirus-contributed-to-death-of-kentucky-9-month-old-governor-says/32759141 Yet, in the effort to ostensibly protect them from this virus that is virtually non-existent in kids, we are instead willing to guarantee long-term damage to 100% of our student body?! We have “flattened the curve” here in Kentucky – but the reaction to this virus has robbed our kids of a normalcy that is imperative to their OVERALL health. And now, it is time to stop with these drastic measures that have already caused– and WILL continue to cause - harm to our kids. Of course we want our children to be safe and healthy!! Besides their physical health, though, we have to consider what will provide the best opportunity for academic achievement… and we HAVE to consider their social, emotional, and mental health. • Kids need structure. • They need adults - in addition to their parents – to help guide them. • They need socialization and peer interaction. • They need to be able to see facial expressions and for their facial expressions to be seen. • They need in-person instruction – they need their teachers! • They need sports and extra-curriculars – coaches, leaders, teammates, structured physical and recreational activity. • They need to be IN school, with their friends. It seems that the decisions being made are fear and liability driven, rather than being data driven or in the best interest of our kids. The data does NOT support the measures being considered and the current proposal does not allow for parent choice. If liability is a big concern, have parents sign a waiver! And allow parents that want their child to wear a mask or want to opt for virtual attendance, to do so. Everybody wins. Their OVERALL HEALTH should be the consideration of this administration and school board. And WE, as parents, are the ones that have a FRONT ROW SEAT to how all of this is affecting them. PLEASE LISTEN. WE NEED TO BE HEARD.

To Posse National, Posse Alumni, Current Posse Scholars, and all friends/supporters of Posse, Pain. Grief. Hopelessness. Fury. Exhaustion. For many of us we are experiencing the full range of these heavy but familiar emotions, yet again. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, our Black family is being hunted down like animals. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Justin Howell, Sean Monterrosa, Jamel Floyd, Freddie Gray, Korryn Gaines, Sandra Bland, Botham Jean, Jamar Clark, Dreasjon Reed, Ezell Ford, Michael Brown, Michelle Shirley, Redel Jones, Kenney Watkins, Stephon Clark, Laquan McDonald, Eric Garner, Eleanor Bumpers, Alberta Spruill, the list goes on. We Posse alumni and scholars are reaching out to rise in solidarity as “one Posse” against racial injustice. Based on the 2019 Posse Alumni Report, the Black community makes up the greatest percentage by race of our reported alumni and together with the Latinx community represents the majority. Therefore, the majority of our Posse community is facing racial injustices head-on and deserves to be supported by the organization, which quite frankly benefits from the systemic injustices that exist in this nation - specifically educational inequity. There would be no Posse without the Black community. As Debbie Bial explained in her June 2nd email, we too believe that this is precisely the time to tap into our collective capacity as an organization. But words like “leverage” and “network”, we are afraid, are performative at best, and complicit at worst. It has become evident that moral support and statements are not what drive progress. Action does. We request that The Posse Foundation publicly support, advance and adopt the three efforts below in a much needed attempt to combat racial injustice: A) NAACP’s 10 Demands We request that The Posse Foundation publicly support the NAACP’s 10 demands for all police departments. These 10 demands also align with the #wearedonedying social justice movement campaign. We believe this is a key step towards lessening police brutality nationwide and elevating the importance of Black and brown lives. B) #8toAbolition We request that The Posse Foundation publicly support the #8toAbolition campaign whose chief priorities are to “focus on concrete actions such as reducing police budgets, rather than introducing abstract procedural rules that are easily undercut by police”. Conversely, the 8cantwait campaign has already been adopted in a variety of states, yet continues to prove ineffective at curtailing the gestapo-like tactics that continually claim Black lives for sport. The #8toAbolition mission forces us to reimagine this country without police. A country that heals and nourishes communities of color rather than criminalizing and crippling them. C) Create a “Posse Peace Program” at Each Posse City Site We have seen organizations use their gifts/resources/power to put weight behind their words. Ben & Jerry’s issued a powerful statement calling for action to “Dismantle White Supremacy”. Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey donated $3 million dollars to Colin Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights Campaign.” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti cut $150 million from LAPD and is planning to reinvest in communities of color. Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from its board and is asking for his seat to be filled with a Black candidate. Even beauty companies are stepping up to the plate. Everlane is donating $75,000 to the ACLU and EJI, respectively. Anastasia pledged $1 million dollars and several others followed suit. Below are the ideas and on how The Posse Foundation can go about creating a “Posse Peace Program”: 1) Similar to PNAAC representatives, Posse city sites will work with appointed peace representatives in each city to fully support our scholars who risk their safety at protests. The representative will help disseminate protest information. They will remain peaceful at protests via adhering to a set of guidelines that scholars, alumni, and the Posse Leadership Team will have agreed upon.. 2) Allocate funding to gather/provide materials for protesters: face masks, gas masks, heat resistant gloves, protective eyewear, protective headgear, earplugs, elbow/knee pads, and water. While it pains us that protection is necessary, it is necessary nonetheless. In many states across the U.S. peaceful protesters have been met with violence, so we must take a “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst” stance. If you do not fear for your life the way we do, then your privilege allows you to do so. 3) If adopted, The Posse Foundation should publicly announce the start of the Posse Peace Program initiative to scholars, alumni, donors, employees, etc. 4) The Posse Foundation should also encourage members of its sites’ staff to be present at these peaceful protests and demonstrations. To our Posse family, we are certain we are not alone in feeling the urgency of this moment. Therefore, we have created a petition to solicit signatures from Posse scholars and alumni across the national network. Click here to sign the petition. To Posse National, we expect you to take these requests to heart & we look forward to collaborating in the very near future. #WeAreDoneDying and we are done asking. Lastly, if you would like to to share thoughts and opinions on the petition, the role of Posse in ending racial injustice, etc., click here. ---> https://forms.gle/4L2no82tDiDwcSNq5 Sincerely, and with Posse Love, Shaquille Anderson (Boston Bucknell Posse 5 and NAACP 2020 Next Gen Member) Gia Ciccolo (Boston Bucknell Posse 4) Nigel Henry Robinson (Boston Bucknell Posse 4) Alvaro J. Peters (Boston Union Posse 5)

The murders of George Floyd, Sean Monterrosa, Stephon Clark, Oscar Grant and many, many other instances of racism, brutality and murder by police, highlight the need for major reforms in law enforcement, including enhanced training, transparency, and accountability. We can no longer allow police departments to self-regulate. Too often, police misconduct gets swept under the rug, and officers are able to continue working or transfer to another department after documented instances of misconduct. Police are granted extraordinary power and authority over the rest of us and carry around dangerous weapons, yet they have less training, experience, or oversight than many others who perform valuable services to our community.

We need the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) to make a statement denouncing racism and systems of white supremacy. We ask you stand with us. Thank you to the "SLPs of Color" for drafting their original petition to ASHA. Please also directly submit feedback to AAA here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VFGBN5K AAA is the world’s largest professional organization of, by and for audiologists, representing the interests of approximately 14,000 audiologists, as well as students and faculty at the university level. Per AAA’s website, one of the core values is Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity, defined as: “to value diversity and to treat all patients fairly and equally without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, or national origin.”  The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are just the recent accounts of police brutality (towards Black people) and white supremacy. As a large professional organization, even if white-majority, we cannot stand idly by. Our silence speaks for us. Our silence says we are complicit. Our silence says we do not care. This silence not only affects those we serve, but also students and professionals of color within the organization.  Furthermore, intersectional identities are, by definition, not mutually exclusive. You may know of the Black students, audiologists, and faculty members in our organization, but what about those who may be Black AND d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing? Our students and professionals also serve numerous Black and d/Deaf + hard-of-hearing patients around the world, either through service trips and/or their everyday work. How can you actively choose to remain silent and not acknowledge their pain and experiences?  As a profession, we are stewards of health and communication and are charged with improving the quality of life for our patients, clients, and students. This includes our audiologists and patients that are directly affected by the systematic injustices seen in our country. We implore AAA to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and subsequently our Black students and professionals.

In 1939, when Eleanor Roosevelt realized that the DAR was not allowing the esteemed Black opera singer, Marian Anderson, to perform for them on the racist rule that they only wanted white performers for their events at Constitutional Hall in D.C., Eleanor not only resigned from the DAR but also invited Marian to sing at the White House. As alumni from Roosevelt University, we stand for every person’s life mattering. We believe that we can make a difference in our brothers’ and sisters’ lives moving forward, with the understanding that education changes the world. With students learning about America’s racial history, we can help grow a greater connection to the principles of social justice that our university was built on. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/09/23/black-history-white-privilege-course-graduation-requirement-column/2389375001/ https://www.fdrlibrary.org/anderson