A message from Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Patrick Sims

Names and places that weren’t significant to most of us a year ago – Ferguson and Michael Brown, Staten Island and Eric Garner, Cleveland and Tamir Rice – are now part of a shared vocabulary that elicits sadness, anger, fear and an unsettling sense of injustice and misunderstanding peppered with the terms unarmed, chokehold, 12-year-old, toy gun and excessive force. It doesn’t matter what ‘side’ or position anyone takes on these topics and issues – there’s no winning on our current path as a nation.

We especially know this in Madison. The view from my office overlooking Bascom Hill is where generations of Badgers have assembled to raise a collective voice on countless issues from women’s rights and labor rights to racial equality and religious persecution below the plaque of our stated intention:

“Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great State University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

As an institution we are charged with educating ourselves and our students to participate in the democracy that builds our society. Pioneers like Belle LaFollette, Father James Groppi, Andrew Goodman, Loyd Guzior and Vel Phillips have blazed an inspiring trail of standing for the common good even when it wasn’t the most popular thing to do.

I want to remind you that UW–Madison has been and continues to be a safe place to be in the minority, to stand up for diversity, offer a differing opinion, examine social justice issues and advocate for change. The administration, faculty and staff support you, are here to guide and teach you, and assist when we are needed.

My personal support comes from two places in my heart and head: My role as member of the senior leadership team and my existence as an African-American man. In my official capacity, I work with a community of amazing scholars, staff and students to ensure diversity is a priority at the university and guard the quality of those experiences as members of the Badger Nation. Both inside and outside of this role I can’t escape my reality as an African-American male and the fears I carry, justified or not, in the eyes of others. My title won’t shield me from the personal microaggressions of today, nor make up for the ones experienced in the past, just as it certainly won’t allay the concern I carry for my 5-year-old son. Worrying about his innocence is just as poignant for me as the discomfort of knowing my colleagues and our students may be at risk in this social atmosphere.

I’m in need of a space to process these issues and I can’t think of better place than in our community. I want to hear from others who are struggling with these issues and encourage those who aren’t to listen without judgment.

Next semester on behalf of the Provost’s Office, the Vice Provosts for Faculty and Staff and Teaching and Learning, and I will host a series of sessions to discuss, teach and learn about the complexity of the issues swirling around us. Please watch for more information and plan to participate.

As we travel back to our homes for winter break, let me encourage folks to rest, recuperate and most importantly to find the space and time to heal. It won’t happen overnight, but it can happen. Embrace what you can change and release what you can’t. Be safe, be wise and be vigilant until we can reconvene and continue our work toward a better world next semester.