100 signatures reached
To: Flagler College
Call for Mark Bailey's resignation from Flagler Board of Trustees
We are demanding that Mark Bailey Sr. resign from Flagler Colleges board of trustees.
Mark Bailey attempted to abuse his wealth to preserve a racist symbol in our town of St. Augustine. He offered to pay for a sewer project in an attempt to keep the confederate monument in place.
Mark Bailey feels entitled enough to speak on behalf of the Black community, while lying to leaders about his intent to fund a clinic in West Augustine. He also used the struggling sewer infrastructure project as incentive to keep the confederate monument standing, while failing to address the issue on his own, despite his philanthropic actions. Bailey has committed to representing his charity work in the Bahamas but has yet to commit to helping struggling communities 5 miles away. He said, “I don’t believe the removal of the obelisk (confederate monument) will lead to any changes that impact our African American community.” Bailey also feels that protesters for Black Lives Matter “do not know what it means to make a real difference,” and that we will “revert back to [our] own lives and will not give back in any meaningful way, yet [we] will believe [we] were a part of a positive change.”
as quoted from the Saint Augustine record:
"Last week, St. Augustine Beach resident Mark Bailey, president of the Bailey Group insurance firm, wrote a letter to St. Augustine commissioners, pleading with them to keep the memorial in place. Instead, he suggested the city fund a sewer project in the West Augustine neighborhood that was recently vetoed from the state budget.
Bailey offered to fund the difference between whatever the city would pay for moving the memorial and the cost of the sewer expansion so that the West Augustine project can move forward."
Mark Bailey's attempt to block the removal with a bribe to the city will not be overlooked.
Mark Bailey attempted to abuse his wealth to preserve a racist symbol in our town of St. Augustine. He offered to pay for a sewer project in an attempt to keep the confederate monument in place.
Mark Bailey feels entitled enough to speak on behalf of the Black community, while lying to leaders about his intent to fund a clinic in West Augustine. He also used the struggling sewer infrastructure project as incentive to keep the confederate monument standing, while failing to address the issue on his own, despite his philanthropic actions. Bailey has committed to representing his charity work in the Bahamas but has yet to commit to helping struggling communities 5 miles away. He said, “I don’t believe the removal of the obelisk (confederate monument) will lead to any changes that impact our African American community.” Bailey also feels that protesters for Black Lives Matter “do not know what it means to make a real difference,” and that we will “revert back to [our] own lives and will not give back in any meaningful way, yet [we] will believe [we] were a part of a positive change.”
as quoted from the Saint Augustine record:
"Last week, St. Augustine Beach resident Mark Bailey, president of the Bailey Group insurance firm, wrote a letter to St. Augustine commissioners, pleading with them to keep the memorial in place. Instead, he suggested the city fund a sewer project in the West Augustine neighborhood that was recently vetoed from the state budget.
Bailey offered to fund the difference between whatever the city would pay for moving the memorial and the cost of the sewer expansion so that the West Augustine project can move forward."
Mark Bailey's attempt to block the removal with a bribe to the city will not be overlooked.
Why is this important?
Earlier this summer, Flagler College Trustee Mark Bailey attempted to abuse his exorbitant wealth to preserve the St. Augustine's Confederate Monument: one of our town's most notorious symbols of racism. Flagler, on paper, maintains a public dedication to racial diversity and inclusivity. If the school is to avoid contradicting its own stated commitment - now of utmost importance in light of this year's racial discontent - the students are demanding the resignation of Mr. Bailey. As a Board of Trustee member, Bailey's flagrant public support of the Confederate monument, which Flagler's own history professors publicly designated as a symbol of white supremacy, doesn't reflect Flagler's stated ethics of racial diversity. By attempting to coerce the city commissioners into backpedaling on their decision to remove the monument with his wealth, even after they voted to do so, Bailey proved he's not committed to our core values and unfit for Flagler College.
As Flagler College students, we stand by the fact that individuals who openly support racist symbols should no longer be an integral part of our institution. Flagler College should be active in holding board members accountable should they fail to uphold those core values. It's impossible to stay true to our values while at the same time sanctioning individuals who worked to keep in place symbols that celebrate the Confederacy and whitewash its crimes.
Mark Bailey has violated the following core values set by Flagler College: respectful and inclusive community, citizenship with integrity, and thoughtful stewardship and has a direct impact on the outcome of Black students’ education at Flagler College. After trying to influence students and Black leaders in the community and maliciously misleading them, we have deemed Bailey’s behavior unprofessional, unethical, and harmful. With Mark Bailey’s resignation, St. Augustine will set a precedent for the rest of the country to address those in power that attempt to use their wealth to uphold systems of white supremacy.
Link to letter: https://historiccity.com/2020/staugustine/news/letter-bailey-speaks-to-city-officials-about-protecting-1879-veterans-memorial-117662
As Flagler College students, we stand by the fact that individuals who openly support racist symbols should no longer be an integral part of our institution. Flagler College should be active in holding board members accountable should they fail to uphold those core values. It's impossible to stay true to our values while at the same time sanctioning individuals who worked to keep in place symbols that celebrate the Confederacy and whitewash its crimes.
Mark Bailey has violated the following core values set by Flagler College: respectful and inclusive community, citizenship with integrity, and thoughtful stewardship and has a direct impact on the outcome of Black students’ education at Flagler College. After trying to influence students and Black leaders in the community and maliciously misleading them, we have deemed Bailey’s behavior unprofessional, unethical, and harmful. With Mark Bailey’s resignation, St. Augustine will set a precedent for the rest of the country to address those in power that attempt to use their wealth to uphold systems of white supremacy.
Link to letter: https://historiccity.com/2020/staugustine/news/letter-bailey-speaks-to-city-officials-about-protecting-1879-veterans-memorial-117662