Dear Colleagues and Students:
I am writing this notice with the same sorrow that I have felt after the killing of George Floyd (see https://ot.phhp.ufl.edu/2020/06/02/message-from-the-chair/). On behalf of the Department of Occupational Therapy, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the eight people, including six women of Asian descent, who were shot to death last week in Atlanta, Georgia. In the Department of Occupational Therapy we have a heartfelt conviction that this crime, like any other crime against anyone of a different color/ racial/ ethnic/ sex/ culture or minority group—remains intolerable, inhumane, and indefensible. As such we are deeply saddened by the deaths of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan and Daoyou Feng. Our Department stands steadfast on our principles of promoting social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. As such, we will continue to uphold these principles and continuously strive to better understand and address racism and bias—by raising awareness, promoting consciousness, speaking out and speaking for disenfranchised groups, building capacity and promoting action in our anti-racist mission.
Sincerely,
Sherrilene Classen, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA