A Message of Solidarity from American Indian Studies and California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center

The American Indian Studies Department at CSUSM and the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center lock arms in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and all Black people within and outside our institution against the ongoing inflicting of systematic inequities wrought by the twin historical processes of colonialism and slavery.

The California State University system is the largest university system in the nation, and we know a better world is possible. AIS and CICSC are committed to continuing our efforts to diversify the curriculum systemwide, but more importantly, we must continue to demand resources to support our students and programs. We stress that this can best be accomplished through the cluster hiring of faculty of color who represent those communities most impacted by 500 years of physical and structural violence in the U.S. Our diverse student bodies need to see themselves reflected in Black, Indigenous and People of Color to teach, administer and lead our institutions into a transformed future.

We uplift Black Lives Matter and the movement for structural and systemic transformation.

We reaffirm our commitment to work tirelessly side by side with our Black brothers and sisters in our shared project to abolish white supremacy, settler-colonialism and heteropatriarchy.