Our Path Forward
Colleagues,
Like many of you, I have been shocked and dismayed by the headlines, videos, and images that have flooded my screens recently. The inhumane behaviors that claimed the lives of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd – and so many others whose names are not in the news – are jarring reminders of just how far away we are from the “more perfect Union” our Constitution promised.
I certainly join with my colleagues across Virginia Tech in condemning these cruel and vicious acts. As Hokies, it is one of our guiding principles and responsibilities to eliminate all forms of bias, prejudice, and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. These cruel acts and actors have no place at Virginia Tech or in a civilized society.
These are unsettling times for the United States. I do not use that word lightly.
I believe President Sands and Dr. Pratt-Clarke articulated this idea succinctly in their statement earlier this week: “As great as our ideals of freedom, justice, and equality may be, the reality is persistently and pervasively falling short of what we say we are all about.”
If you are like me, you’ve been considering steps you can take to get involved and do your part to help fix some of these problems. I would encourage you first to simply learn all you can: read, write, watch, ask questions, and have candid conversations about how we can make our communities more inclusive, more welcoming, and more equal. We are incredibly busy right now, with the fiscal year transition and planning for COVID-19 financial impacts. Even so, I am requesting that each of our units and our managers carve out time to have these important discussions with their teams in the coming weeks. This issue is too important, its impact too immense, for us to delay any longer.
I encourage you to connect with our Inclusion & Diversity Committee and the representative(s) from your units to learn more about the programmatic activities and resources available. We recently partnered with the Office of Inclusion & Diversity to offer a workshop specifically for our employees. View the presentation slides for “Implicit Bias at Work: Why it's normal, how it affects us, and what we can do about it.”
You can sign up for InclusiveVT’s first online digital badge courses: Creating an Inclusive Workplace and Creating an Inclusive Climate, new self-paced and 100% online courses.
I strongly encourage you to join Virginia Tech's Office for Inclusion and Diversity LIVE on Friday, June 5th at 2pm ET as they host "Unfinished Conversations on Race: A kick-off for an ongoing conversation on Race and Racism." To join the conversation, click here.
And please take a moment and review the Virginia Tech Principles of Community. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we affirm the dignity and value of every person and have open conversations within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
The university will be sharing additional opportunities for conversation, questions, and action in the coming days and weeks. I am requesting that each of you create dedicated time in your schedules to participate. And I want to hear from you about the conversations, activities, ideas and suggestions you have – drop me a note here.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “the ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy.”
Systemic racism is the toughest balance sheet we’ll ever face. We’re 400 years in the red on a burden that black Americans are still bearing to this day.
And while this is certainly a moment of great pain and sorrow for so many, I am also optimistic about the opportunity in front of us. As Hokies, and as finance professionals, we have a passion for solving problems. I know that if each of us come together and dedicate ourselves to this important work, we can in some meaningful way make our offices, our university, our community, and our country just a little bit more equal and just.
Let’s get to work.
Ken
Ken Miller, CPA
Vice President for Finance