Our hearts ache as we watch members of our Black community be killed and harmed. As Cornell University President Martha Pollack stated, “decent people and institutions cannot stand silent while such violence against our fellow citizens continues.”
We honor all life on this precious planet. In the diversity of people, plants, and all living creatures lies our species’ only hope for resilience, and our need to adapt, grow, and flourish. Just as we protect and nurture the diversity within our living collections, we support the University and our community in protecting and nurturing diversity in our human communities.
We will, as President Pollack promises, “address this scourge of racism. We will address it directly in our educational programs, in our research and in our engagement and related activities, working through the ways we know best to push for a world that is equitable and kind; where people do not have to fear for their lives because of the color of their skin; and where everyone has the same opportunities to grow, thrive and enjoy their lives.”
We offer our grounds, which have remained open during this pandemic, as places for respite where we, collectively, can create a world of diversity, beauty, and hope.