CUNY Believe It Or Not — Open Letter to CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

By Caroline Ash

[This article is being republished in the waning days of the Hunter College 2022 COVID-19 spring semester because of a stunning reprimand of Hunter College’s Department of Film and Media Studies by Hunter College Acting Provost Dr. Valeda Dent about its racism and bigotry. Other stories about the Acting Provost’s reprimand are in the works.]

Dear Chancellor Félix V. Matos-Rodríguez,

I am sharing with you my story of 30 years of service to Hunter/CUNY. I retired because I could no longer tolerate the racist working conditions on my campus. My last day was May 20, 2020 as an Administrative Assistant with a master’s degree in Urban Affairs, a graduate degree in Advance Public Administration, Level 1, and I am a candidate for a master’s degree in Museum Studies at CUNY SPS, City University School of Professional Services.

My situation is the norm not the exception at my campus. I am hoping that you, Chancellor Felix V. Matos, can make changes that can bring back humanity, empathy, and respect to all Hunter/CUNY staff members no matter what race they are. Implied racism, institutional racism, and systemic racism are all choking the longtime Black staff at Hunter. They desperately need your intervention to heal…