Dear Moore community:
I write to you today in the wake of another senseless tragedy that happened earlier this week, this time in our own city. The fatal shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr. is an unbearable loss and one that sadly could have been prevented. As we keep Wallace’s family and neighbors in our thoughts, I want to reiterate that at Moore, we believe unequivocally that the dignity and lives of Black people matter.
I know this tragic event comes at an already significantly challenging time for our city and our country, not to mention a challenging year for all of you, during which we have had to absorb so much with limited bandwidth, due to the pandemic. Legitimate feelings of exhaustion and anger have emerged time and time again, as is the case now. As a close-knit community, we are not immune to these feelings, and I am grateful that we have each other to lean on for support and encouragement during especially fraught times. It does not escape me that we are also mere days from an historically important election that will lay the groundwork for our country’s next chapter, and we all recognize how that is contributing to our collective state of mind. For many of our participating students, it is their first time voting in a presidential election.
The act of voting is not just a civic duty, but a powerful way to express our assessment of the present and to share our vision for the future. While there is much work to do as a society beyond the voting booth, with current events underscoring as much, the systems that surround us and the people that shape them are informed and elevated to positions of power by us, the voters and the citizens. The Moore community does the additional work of opening hearts and minds as artists and designers and shining a mirror on our society, reflecting the good, the ugly, the clear and the obscure. For many of the seemingly intractable issues in our society, the hope and the solutions begin with us.
To all of you who have already voted or who plan to vote, I want to thank you for exercising that right. If you have not yet voted and are registered to vote in Philadelphia or a surrounding county, I hope you will make a COVID safe plan for Tuesday, November 3. Please remember that the polls close at 8 pm in Pennsylvania, and also remember to let your instructors know in advance if your voting plans might make you late for class. I especially want to applaud our students who have prioritized voting this year. You are part of a generation that is maturing into the future leadership of our country and so much will rest upon your shoulders. Witnessing your socially conscious commitment to issues of equity, justice and community care gives the entire Moore faculty and staff great hope for the future.
I hope you will plan to join us on Wednesday, November 4, during the 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Common Hour, for our community program, “Election 2020: What Comes Next?” with Catherine Lanctot, professor of law at Villanova University. Professor Lanctot comes to us with a vast expertise in legal history and constitutional law, which will be incredibly useful as we process the outcome of the election. Please join us at that time via Zoom (passcode via your Moore email) or find a screen to watch the presentation in the designated dining areas on campus.
If you are facing a mental health crisis, please reach out for help. For students who would like to talk to someone about feelings of anxiety or stress, please schedule an appointment with one of our mental health counselors. Staff and faculty can access Guardian Insurance’s Confidential Employer Assistance Program or visit Healthy Minds Philly for more resources.
Most sincerely,
Cecelia Fitzgibbon
President
