United Academics Statement To Embrace Antiracism and Support Black Lives Matter (approved by the Representative Assembly on 12 June 2020)
It is with great sadness and anger that we, the United Academics union, comprising over 1,000 full time faculty members, have observed recent and past horrific acts perpetrated against Black people by police and other institutions that highlight the long history of systemic anti-Black racism in the United States of America. We join Black Lives Matter and other racial justice organizations in demanding equal justice for all and to abolish racism in the USA. As educators, we strive to help every student achieve their full potential. We recognize that Black students living in an unjust society with a long history of oppression face significantly greater hurdles in achieving that potential. For us to be truly committed to reaching racial equity, we must move beyond conversations and discussions and take concrete action to deal with institutional racism and inequality. This must occur at every level of the university, from the recruitment of our student body, to the curriculum we deliver and to the hiring and promotion of faculty, staff and administrators.
Please click here to view the entire statement.
We have established the Antiracism, Anticolonialism, and Antidiscrimination Committee to draft an all inclusive statement and actions we commit to that will show our support and commitment to all racial and other oppressed groups in Alaska and the United States of America. Please contact United Academics at alaska.unitedacademics@gmail.com to become a member of this crucial committee to transform United Academics and the University of Alaska to truly just and equitable organizations.
United Academics AAUP/AFT Local 4996 is calling for the immediate resignation of Jim Johnsen. All are invited to sign this petition regardless of United Academics affiliation so feel free to share this message with others.
To view and sign the petition, please click here. Don’t delay… sign today!
UNAC Mission
By uniting faculty toward the common goal of providing quality education to University of Alaska’s students, United Academics continues to improve higher education in Alaska. Our aim is to return public funding for education to a level that adequately serves the people of Alaska while restoring meaningful faculty governance and maintaining adequate compensation of faculty members.
United Academics AAUP-AFT Local 4996 commits to antiracism, acknowledges its past implicit and explicit contributions to systemic racism, and resolves to abolish racism immediately and permanently.