Honorable Mayor Cherie Wood

220 East Morris Avenue

South Salt Lake, UT 84115

April 21, 2017

Mayor Wood:

We, the members of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) South Salt Lake, are troubled to
hear of the recent dismissal of Rebecca Hall, JD, PhD from the Promise South Salt Lake
Program. We are further concerned to discover Dr. Hall was fired via text message and with no
warning, explanation, or prior complaints regarding her service. We would like to strongly
encourage full transparency in the sharing of information with Dr. Hall related to her termination.
It is our understanding, and the perception of many in the public, that this dismissal is related to
Dr. Halls strong commitment to addressing issues of racial injustice and inequity within the
Promise Program and at Cottonwood High School.

In the past, we have felt encouraged by your words supporting diversity and fairness in
South Salt Lake. We have been moved by your apparent commitment to the best interest of
South Salt Lakes diverse population, particularly the children. However, SURJ can not support
a Mayor who allows someone to be fired based on their race and fierce commitment to
challenging the cycles of white supremacy that so many students and faculty of color face. We
continue to hear from students of color who tell us Dr. Hall has been a rare ally, an authority
figure who understands the challenges they face and regularly addressed these challenges,
often when administrators wished to turn a blind eye to issues of racism in their own school.
Taking such an identifiable and supportive figure from these students is a poor decision at any
time; doing it during these frightening times of increased deportations, hate crimes, and anti-
refugee sentiment is, frankly, horrific.

In the case of Promise, the students of color clearly felt well served by Dr. Hall, perhaps in
part due to their shared experiences, experiences white administrators and faculty are unable to
share or control. The sad truth is: consciously or not, white supremacy infects nearly all of
America's educational and governmental institutions. Oftentimes, any attempt by employees of
color to display initiative, ownership, and innovation in their work is perceived as a threat by
white administrators. Its not uncommon for city and school institutions to claim they are seeking
diversity, when what they actually seek are employees of color who will comply with the
institutional hierarchy, not gain authority, not display too much excellence, and not seek to
address or change the systems which endanger the wellbeing of so many; even if such change
is necessary to protect students.

If, upon reflection, the systemic dynamics mentioned above feel familiar and it becomes clear
that institutionalized white fragility, both conscious and unconscious, did play a part in Dr. Halls
termination, we at SURJ South Salt Lake have a vested interest in working with you towards
addressing and resolving such issues. As you are aware, such work is not easy, and is never
finished. However, the well being of the next generation of South Salt Lake residents depends
on us being willing to engage in this difficult work and fight racism in our own city, schools, and
psyches. Please do not hesitate to contact SURJ South Salt Lake (Wendi Melling can be
reached at 801-***-****) if you wish to arrange a time to discuss these issues further. We
appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Showing Up for Racial Justice

South Salt Lake Chapter

cc: Lynn Creswell, South Salt Lake City Attorney

Kari Cutler, Director Promise South Salt Lake