Pain, Calm, Courage: A Letter from Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing

Posted June 4, 2020

Pain, Calm, Courage: A Letter from Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing

Dear Ivan Allen College Community,

On Monday, I sent a message indicating my belief in a way forward for our college, and that, despite challenges, we continue to strive to accomplish much. 

Today I want to widen the dialogue. I want to talk about pain, calm and courage.

First, let’s acknowledge the pain. Pain that we all feel about what is going on around us and in our own lives. For me, what we see in cities and towns around us—injustice, murder, disrespect, prejudice, racism—flies in the face of safety, justice and equity. This is not new, but the events of the past few weeks make it more present and palpable. 

Some of what we are witnessing is difficult to comprehend. There is pain in our hearts regarding the killing of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, the violence against the Spelman and Morehouse students this past weekend, and the list goes on. Countless families are grieving.

That brings me to calm. Feeling calm in the midst of this storm is my way of getting to a place to figure out what to do to make things better. I feel a sense of calm writing this message, because I know that the way forward requires working together with members of our community and neighbors. This isn’t a sense of calm from a cloistered environment. Instead, it is an inner calm that allows me to determine how to take action.

Now we must muster courage.  We must not shrink back or become paralyzed by what we see around us. One of the mottos of my family is that we have to run to the fire. We have to use our talents and treasures during these crises to determine how we can be part of the solution. We can do more, we must do more, we can do better.

Pain, calm and courage must now come together to give rise to hope and action. I draw hope from things such as the exemplary actions of what our Student Government Association officers shared through their email message on Monday. I draw hope from Georgia Tech’s ongoing efforts to expand diversity and inclusion. I draw hope from this College’s foundational commitment to social courage and social justice. We can create a better community that embraces our differences. I encourage you to share with me your thoughts on how we can strengthen our community and advance actions committed to safety, justice and equity. 

Sincerely,

Kaye Husbands Fealing
Dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair

Kaye Husbands Fealing assumed the role of dean of the College on June 1. Read about her background and her reflections on our future.

Dr. Kaye Husbands Fealing Bio