Carnegie Mellon University
September 20, 2022

En Comunidad

Dear Members of the College of Fine Arts:

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Maria, an event that resulted in 4,645 deaths in Puerto Rico and over hundreds of thousands of relocations.

I wish I could write of our recovery and how well we are doing as a people. Instead, today I write with a heavy heart as several of our communities struggle from monsoons and hurricanes. As you may have learned, Tropical Storm Fiona began in the Caribbean over this past weekend and grew to a category 1 hurricane impacting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The islands have experienced severe flooding, with Puerto Rico experiencing a loss of electricity and in many areas, loss of access to food and drinking water. Pakistan is also experiencing immense flooding from monsoons, resulting in tragedy and high mortality across the country. Currently, there is an estimate of 3,700 children in need of support.

I share this because while many find heritage months and cultural celebrations to be joyous, it is also a time of action and learning. Historically, hurricane season and the opening of Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month have coincided. Therefore, it feels of utmost importance to highlight the need to support our communities and not simply share posts or events.

Please consider donating to the following organizations as they aim to support the Caribbean and Pakistan:

In light of my message, I also believe it is important to highlight the goodness of our work here at CMU so I would be remiss not to share the beautiful efforts of the Latino Graduate Student Organization.

We hope to engage your support!

En comunidad,

Valeria J. Martinez
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
College of Fine Arts