The GCC CalWORKs team stands in solidarity with our Black students, colleagues, and neighbors, and with Black Lives Matter.
 
As individuals and as a program, we have committed to:

• Acknowledge racism against our Black community members exists in our country, our neighborhood, our college, and our program;
• Examine and take responsibility for the part we play in creating racism in our environment;
  Strive to become an anti-racist program, and include this goal as one of our ongoing program values;
• Continue to educate ourselves by reading, listening, and participating;
• Speak out when we become aware of racist or inequitable practices or actions in our program, including micro-aggressions;
• Listen to our Black students, colleagues, neighbors, and leaders. 

We are sad and angry about the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others whose names we know and don’t know, and we send our condolences to all families impacted by institutional violence and systemic racism.
 
We are not experts at this. We're not going to do this perfectly, and sometimes we will stumble and blunder. But we will try, and we know that with time, we will make progress. We are committed to having the difficult conversations necessary to make GCC CalWORKs a safe, welcoming, and nurturing home for Black CalWORKs student-parents.  
 
In love and partnership,
Your GCC CalWORKs Team

Aarin Edwards
Anne-Marie Beck
Debbie Stepp
Juliet Sulian
Karen Tu
Marilu Villa
Michael Serot
Mirna Najera
Ophelia Carrasco
Pamela Rosas
Rita Der-Stepanians
Roubina Babakhanians
Victoria Issakhan