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By Elizabeth A. Sandoval
Class of 1976 Dear Mr. Thompson: I am writing as a 1976 Saint Mary's College (interchangeably SMC) alum, and on behalf of the alumni and former students that have endorsed this letter. We would like to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible. We have been made aware of the recent news coverage and your public responses, that have brought to light the very disturbing incidents where an African American student has been directly subjected to racist hateful actions and speech by other students. We are also aware of and support your efforts to address the situation. We know, unfortunately, that conduct of this nature has been enabled by the political policies that currently are promoting racial and ethnic divisions in our country. However, we here make reference to the fact that Lasallian and Christian values do not adhere to such values. Lasallian Core Principles, must guide SMC's response: Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, Faith in the Presence of God, Quality Education, Respect for All Persons, and Inclusive Community, In the spirit of Lasallian principles, Saint Mary's has for 50 years taken leading positions to support people from all backgrounds in their endeavors to successfully seek higher education and opportunities. We need only look to SMC's Diversity Mission statement: "Saint Mary's College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and learning environment where systems of oppression and exclusion are actively opposed and dismantled. We believe diversity is one of our greatest strengths; we broadly define diversity to include race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, immigration status, physical appearance, religion, age, military status, and socioeconomic status.” As one of our alums, Vivian Viscarra says, Saint Mary's has an "obligation to educate its students in love, empathy, collaboration, teamwork, and compassion." In this spirit of collaboration, we would like to make the following recommendations: 1. As soon as possible meet with representatives of the individuals that have endorsed this communication to discuss a potential plan. 2. We suggest that you specifically reach out to Tom Brown a longtime Saint Mary's Lasallian educator who assumed a leadership role in supporting the College to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive before those terms were first popularized, and more recently demonized. Tom is someone who has a demonstrated commitment to the mission, values and spirit of SMC. We do not believe we are alone in believing that he is uniquely qualified to offer guidance on effective actions that can help counter racial bias. He may also be available to support you, as well as faculty and staff, to craft an effective institutional response to this and similar issues. As you may recall, he was recently honored at St. Mary's for the decades of commitment he has given to SMC and its students. He is also a highly respected individual beyond St. Mary's, who has consulted numerous educational institutions on issues of inclusion rather than exclusion. 3. We encourage you to create a team of individuals trained in addressing cultural bias, Please note that we do not necessarily mean to limit the team to only issues of race. Should other forms of bias be uncovered such as the mistreatment of female students, then appropriate review and responses can be addressed. 4. We are aware your public response has not necessarily been well received by alumni as adequate or in tune with the true values for which SMC stands. In the spirit of offering support, we hope and believe that you are committed to developing an action plan that will reinforce the continued dedication of SMC to its core principles as it pertains to all its students regardless of background. I am happy to assist in the coordination of this requested meeting and look forward to your attention to this very serious matter and to our request for a meeting with you. Thank you. Endorsements to Letter dated April 29, 2025 to SMC President Thompson Alison Armstrong '16 Kamat Abdul-Jabaar '69-71 Musheer Abdul-Jabbar (Edward Badon) '73 Anthony Boutte '78 Debora Boutte (Burroughs) '80 Sharon Denise Bradley '79 Saleem Abdul-Jabaar ‘70-72 Herman Brown '74 Del Brown '75 Roy Brown '72 Eddie Calvo '78 Nathan Carroll Jr. '75 Mireya Casarez '78 Rosamaria Casarez '84 Leslee Ann Chun '79 Gil Cortez '72 Reese Fernandez '75 Greg Ferguson '74 Candace Finnegan Timoney '76 Henry Flores '76 Dennis Fuller '77 Sonya Gonzales '78 Miguel Gonzalez '76 Ana Maria Guerrero '16 Maurice Harper '75 Gary Key '73 Lori Knight '79 Reggie Lemay '72 Bob Manalo '76 Maria Mejorado '78 Kayrna Perez Quirarte '16, M.A.17 John Perez '78 Kim Ramirez Pollack '79 Ann Agnew Rodriguez '79 Paul Rodrigez '73 Sal Rodriguez '76 Maria Servin '82 Nance Tovar '76, M.A.s '79 and '83 Jesus Varela '78 Jose Varela '79 Nancy Vasquez '79 Vivian Viscarra '79 Andrea Wood '78 Joe Ybarra '75 Nancy Nikhazy Ybarra '80 Pamela Washington '79 Addendum: President Thompson has responded to the letter and has asked that they work with the alumni office as of May 6.
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By Anonymous
Sometimes I fear the inevitable. I think that my brain goes into overload and tries so hard to make up for the world and its failures. I believe that we are seeing an uprising. This uprising of fascism. It scares me to know that one day we will all, even our thoughts, be shifted and be redone and reclaimed by the subliminal messaging of the advertisements that will undoubtedly bring us back half a century- if not more. Writing might be a lost art. It is the only thing that helps with the process. In the midst of all of this writing I feel as though it will never be enough. I know that it is something, it is something good, something to record and keep this history alive and well for the future to reckon with. They will and they must reckon with this. I wish we were more capable of reckoning with this now, although I fear that we are greatly encumbered by living day by day. I believe that as humans, part and parcel, the only way to defy the things that are truly evil is to say and do something. It’s a stupid little old adage, the whole “see something say something” it’s catchy, but when it really matters, would anyone be willing to actually do just that? I believe that when there is extreme ethnonationalism there is a lack of empathy towards those who might actually be different. We believe in American exceptionalism, but are we truly exceptional? I fear that we are not as exceptional as we claim to be. If we were exceptional, would we have billionaires that control everything. Would our freedoms be repressed on a daily basis? Would we be living in a society that prioritizes the few at the cost of the many? As Victor Klemperer said on May 15, 1933 "I have given up thinking about things. I feel it's all coming to an end.[...]The mood of the present time, the waiting, the visiting one another, the counting of days, the inhibited telephone conversations and correspondences--- all of that could be recorded in memoirs one day. But my life is coming to an end, and these memoirs will never be written." He is not all doom and gloom, on May 27, 1942 he said "I shall go on writing. That is my heroism. I will bear witness, precise witness!" Out of despair comes hope and a way out. I want to write my way out. I want to build the way out. I want to write the way to the future. The idea of being a witness to horrors and to record them when all else is actively failing has always been interesting to me. I have always wanted to live history, and I know that history happens every day, but I have never once wanted to live this kind of history. I wanted to live this singularly radiant American Dream from which all people could become President. Where a smart, intelligent, woman could become the best that we have to offer. I have never once wanted to live through the rise of facism, or white supremacy, or bigotry, but this is the world in which I live. A world where there is no "innocent." Places like these, places where people die and the world becomes desensitized to violence loose innocence. We have all lost our innocence and now bear the responsibility of whatever happens. We have become culpable or accomplices to this end goal. By Salahideen Salem
Opinion Columnist A conflict often discussed around the world today ended up surfacing in discussion within St. Mary’s in the form of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. A controversial subject, this has remained a contentious matter over the past year, and it has so far been addressed by the college. With more knowledge surfacing through the media, a current of awareness has emerged throughout many places in America, including St. Mary’s, that Israel is conducting a genocide on the Palestinian people, as shown by Amnesty International’s and the UN’s writings on how long the conflict has been going on for. As a Palestinian and someone who has kept a close eye on colonial movements throughout history, this subject means a lot to me. Every day, I see the deaths, be they old or young, prosperous or not, with hopes and dreams crushed, and honestly I wish to speak out about this now. With what I will address next, I think it is most important to do so now. Time has drawn on and the conflict has partially faded in people’s minds as election year has taken prominence in the American landscape. The question has turned from “how can we help stop this genocide” to “what will happen now in Trump’s hands” In this, the answer to many Americans has been clear, with his ineptitude carrying the day often with his actions. One example would be in his desire to make Gaza the 51st state of the United States. In the current landscape of America, we have faced great sums of money diverted from institutions such as healthcare and aid to the poor to now genocide, and ultimately we must ask ourselves how this problem will be solved. The answer, however, seems clear to many amidst the burgeoning ethical and economic issues that plague the world today. They will not be solved, at least, not by Trump, especially not with his current policies. His foreign policy especially seems to be no different from Biden’s, outright stating “Do what you have to do.” to Benjamin Netanyahu during the election. Furthermore, with the burgeoning economic crisis on the rise and the recession that has been ignored due to the elections, it appears that Trump has elected to cause new problems instead of fixing any. He’s cracking down on colleges now, after all . Despite all of this it is not a reason to lose hope. Simply because the person before President Biden is at the wheel again does not mean that it is cause to lose hope. Four years is a relative eyeblink in the passage of time, and we still have to focus and keep fighting. The world will change, but that does not mean we should not stop fighting injustice. With Trump doubling down on America’s already abysmal foreign policies, we must endeavor to keep on speaking, not only for us as Americans but also as people. Just because everyday life continues does not mean we should not hold ourselves accountable. Just because we are local in Moraga does not mean that we can keep silent. Every act of speaking out begins small, and ultimately, this is no different. Time is moving fast and we have to act with it. The only question is how we shall do so. And the answer to that, I feel, is obvious. Though politicians will pretend not to hear, we must raise our voices. We have to grasp the truth and hold it high. There is no other means of going about it beyond non-violence. Speak up. Shout louder. Protest, even. It will all make a difference, no matter how small it might seem. Amnesty International. “Israel Defying ICJ Ruling to Prevent Genocide by Failing to Allow Aid into Gaza.” Amnesty International, 26 Feb. 2024, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/israel-defying-icj-ruling-to-prevent-genocide-by-failing-to-allow-adequate-humanitarian-aid-to-reach-gaza/. |
STAFFAndrew Martinez Cabrera '26, Archives
May 2025
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