Interim President Stephen C. Osborne ’73 shared the following message with the campus community regarding the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dear Campus Community:
As you all know, on Saturday, October 27, a horrific act of violence took place at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa.
This heinous display of anti-Semitism hits close to home for many members of our campus community, especially those of Jewish faith. I am heartbroken by this tragedy, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and their loved ones.
What took place in Pittsburgh is yet another incident where a sacred place – a place of worship – was the target of hate instead of what belongs there, which is LOVE. For many of us here in Charleston, it was a dark reminder of the atrocity that was committed at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church three years ago.
We should not allow what is different about each of us to cause division amongst us and to pit us against each other. We should look to love and inclusivity as the answers to hateful forces that are trying to tear us apart as a society. We can be a more perfect society when we condemn intolerant behavior and hateful rhetoric, and harden our resolve to stand up to it on campus, in Charleston, and in communities across the country. If we do so, our republic and our world will certainly be better for it.
Sincerely,
Steve
Stephen C. Osborne ’73
Interim President
