Central Mass. leaders respond to Chauvin guilty verdict, call for continuing fight against racism

PHOTO/GRANT WELKER Employees at UMass Memorial Health Care and UMass Medical School held a Black Lives Matter protest in June.

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By Monica Benevides

Community stakeholders in around Worcester responded to the Derek Chauvin trial verdicts -- during which the former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last May.

Among them were Quinsigamond Community College president Luis Pedraja, the Worcester NAACP, as well as UMass Memorial Health President and CEO Eric Dickson and UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins.

None of the leaders struck a celebratory tone, noting the conviction of one police officer was not equivalent to beating back systemic racism.

“We have all held our collective breaths waiting for the outcome of the Derek Chauvin trial in Minnesota,” Pedraja said in a statement. “The conviction of one police officer does not end the systemic racism that people of color endure in this country on a daily basis.”

Pedraja noted emotions will run high in the trial’s fallout, and urged the community not to forget that, at the end of the day, Floyd died, and his family and the country will be impacted by that death in perpetuity.

“Unfortunately, the outcome of the trial will not bring solace to everyone in our country,” Pedraja said. “Today is a strong reminder that there is a lot more work to do in order to eradicate and dismantle systemic racism in the United States. Let us all recommit ourselves to that effort.”

The Worcester branch of the NAACP echoed similar sentiments, indicating the verdicts were only a beginning on the path toward holding police and others accountable for violence against Black people.

“This case and verdict sends a message to officers sworn to ‘serve and protect,’” the statement said. “Your brothers and sisters will not always sit quietly when you desecrate the badge.”

But, the statement also noted: “This verdict does not give us relief. This verdict does not bring us joy. This verdict makes us angry. This verdict is only a start.”

Dickson and Collins, who released a joint statement, said they hoped the community could move toward healing and acknowledged “needless acts of violence must be faced directly if they are to end.”

“And we know that may seem impossible – after all, these violent acts are not new,” the pair said. “But we also know that we cannot wait for just the right moment in time for change. We as a community must drive this change.”

UMass President Marty Meehan, in turn, said the school would use its position as an institution of higher learning to bolster anti-racism work, noting the important roles colleges play in cultural discourse.

“Higher education’s role in seeking truth, justice and creating new knowledge is critical to the pursuit of a nation where communities of color live safely and free of racism and discrimination,” Meehan said. “In this moment, we re-commit to the cultivation of an anti-racist, just, and equitable economy and society for all.”