A message to the SDSU College of Education community from Dean Y. Barry Chung:
The specter of mass gun violence has become a sad reality for all Americans. And this shooting, which took place in a predominantly Latinx school, is part of a recent string of incidents that have terrorized communities of color nationwide. We have been deeply saddened and outraged by hate-fueled attacks on Black shoppers in a Buffalo supermarket and Taiwanese American worshipers in an Orange County church. These atrocities are symptomatic of a toxic mix created by multiple crises — racism, mental health, and gun violence — intersecting at once. We must never become numb to this.
Our college community feels the emotional toll of school shootings particularly acutely. Our students — be they aspiring or current teachers, counselors, school psychologists, or administrators — have devoted their lives to working in schools and nurturing our nation’s children. Our faculty, staff and guide teachers (many in classrooms of their own) care deeply about preparing these students and supporting them on their paths. We all deserve not to live and work in fear. If you are in need of emotional support, please utilize these university resources.
I am struck by the fact that it has been 23 years since the massacre at Columbine High, meaning the majority of our students have been living with the awful reality of mass gun violence in the classroom for their entire lives. Yet, because of their courage and caring, education is the career path they chose anyway.
It’s time for our nation’s elected leaders to show similar courage and caring and find ways to address this horrific and unacceptable threat.