Dear SHECP Interns and other members of our SHECP Community,
Today, we kick off the SHECP 2020 Summer Internship Program when we host the virtual 2020 Frueauff Opening Conference. Download the media release to learn more. During our preparation for this event, I have been giving thought to the mission and vision of SHECP – especially while considering the recent dramatic and unsettling events in our nation.
Our mission statement includes the following key sentence: “SHECP and its member institutions prepare students for a lifetime of professional and civic efforts to diminish poverty and to enhance human capability.”
Adherence to this mission demands that SHECP condemn racism in all of its expressions. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are only the most recent examples of the frequent acts of violence committed against people of color. As an organization that strives to be anti-racist in all of its activities and operations, SHECP stands against any act that undermines human dignity, and SHECP recognizes that the work to diminish poverty and to enhance human capability must necessarily also be anti-racist work.
As we enter this summer, we expect that every member of our SHECP community will carry with them a renewed commitment and reminder that our learning, our work, our community engagement, and our actions must be rooted in authentic partnerships that promote dialogue, stimulate reflection, and foster change, a change that disrupts systemic patterns of violence that are rooted in this nation’s history.
Thank you in advance for your help in pursuit of the SHECP mission.
If you have any questions, contact our Academic Director, Dr. Stephanie Rolph, at rolphsc@shepherdconsortium.org, or our Internship Director, Amy DeHart, at dehartak@shepherdconsortium.org. You may also email me at jim.langford@shepherdconsortium.org.
Sincerely,
Jim Langford, Executive Director – SHECP