Black Lives Matter Statement

To the School of Dentistry Community:

We, the UCLA School of Dentistry leadership, stand with Chancellor Block and the 37 other campus leaders who joined in solidarity to share their outrage over the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. We stand with them to speak with clarity about the brutality and chilling casualness of George Floyd’s killing in particular. We stand with them to name it for what it is: the “utter dehumanization of Black life.” We stand with them in “stating unequivocally that Black lives DO matter.”

Many members of our SOD are suffering acute outrage, pain, and sorrow sparked by these recent killings. For some, it runs more deeply than the rest of us can know. As Dr. Ed Hewlett shared with us, “as a Black American, these feelings are always there just beneath the surface –scars from past injustices that never heal, and every #(fill in the name) like George Floyd rips off all of the other scabs. Again, and again, and again.”

We ask each of you to reflect on the injustice that continues to plague our country and to use this time as a call to action and to make the needed changes in our own community. We must acknowledge that as upsetting as these events are, we must not allow the day-to-day aggressions (let us stop calling them “micro”), mindless hurtful comments and insults to go unchallenged; they must not be allowed to define the SOD culture and experience. We, as SOD leaders, pledge to lead by example. We will hold ourselves accountable for recognizing and addressing implicit biases in our own behavior. And we commit to learning and using best practices in inclusive communication and to using them constructively to change the SOD culture for all.

Our heart goes out to the SOD’s Black community, and to all those affected by these traumatic and painful events. Please let us know how we can provide additional support. 

Students are always welcome to stop in the Office of Student Services. UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) counseling.ucla.edu is open during regular business hours, and 24/7 crisis support is always available by phone at 310-825-0768.

Sincerely,