On One Day for UK, donate to groups that actually care about marginalized communities | Opinion
Last week, the University of Kentucky quietly canceled celebrations for minority graduates, including LGBTQ+, Black and first-generation graduates. Their stated reason was to be “in accordance with state and federal law” despite statements earlier this year that UK was largely in compliance with bills like House Bill 4 and no new laws related to diversity being passed at the federal level so far. The cancellation of celebrations was also coupled with the removal of websites for the Office of LGBTQ* Resources and the Martin Luther King Center.
As an alumnus of the university, a current staff member, and an out and proud gay man, I’m disappointed and frustrated by this decision. It makes me feel like I am not welcome on campus. The university can use all the spin they want to try to justify their stances, but it will not change the fact they are turning their backs on marginalized communities and failing to be a university for all Kentuckians. They can continue to claim they are being neutral by following the law, but the law does not decide what is right and what is wrong.
This quiet cancellation comes at a unique time for the university. Later this week – on Thursday, April 24 – the university will celebrate One Day for UK. This has been designated as the university’s annual giving day, and encourages alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends to support their favorite cause. But how am I to support my favorite cause if the programming has been gutted, its website removed, and it is not even a donation option on One Day for UK? How can I continue to support the university when it is doing so little to support students who are like me? Last year, the Office of LGBTQ* Resources was the top-performing Small Program and Unit on One Day for UK – this year they aren’t even listed on the website.
Instead of donating to the university on One Day for UK, I encourage alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends to donate to causes they fully support and causes that are continuing to stand by marginalized communities in these difficult political times. Organizations like JustFundKY, Louisville Pride Foundation, and Lexington Pride Center offer programming and services year round to support the LGBTQIA+ community across the state.
Organizations like Lexington Black Prosperity Initiative, Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky, and Kentucky Center for African American Heritage strengthen, support, and make a meaningful impact in Black communities around the state. The list of potential organizations to donate to could fill pages – community foundations and other organizations that distribute scholarships, local food pantries, community groups working to expand housing options. There are an incredible number of organizations doing great work throughout Kentucky that regularly stand up and support marginalized communities.
Ultimately, the goal is to send a message. Our dollars can be our speech, and sometimes that speech can be powerful. The University of Kentucky is dependent on dollars from donors to support a portion of their budget. As alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends, we can send an important message by donating elsewhere on One Day for UK. The message is simple: we don’t support the university’s current stance and we demand the university revert to supporting all Kentuckians, not just some Kentuckians.
Jason Schubert is a staff member at the University of Kentucky and board president for the Lexington Pride Center.