In Response to the Death of George Floyd, May 29, 2020

Dear students, staff and faculty:

This week, the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Force underscored, once again, the continued injustice and violence resulting from structural racism in the United States. On its own, one senseless death would be unacceptable. Yet George Floyd’s death is not on its own. The number of Black people murdered by police officers, self-appointed vigilantes and others is shamefully high.

Now more than ever, we need strong national leadership not only to unite us, but also to effect long-awaited progress toward racial equality—in housing, in education, in health care, in employment, and especially in justice. It is our responsibility, especially those of us who are white, to do better. To do more. To work toward antiracism and the end of white supremacist thinking and action.

Our director of religious and spiritual life, Matilda Cantwell, will lead a virtual gathering to commemorate Black lives lost and hold space for anger, grief and commitment to action. The event, “Generating Justice,” will take place at 3:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 2, via Zoom at this link. We hope you will join us in solidarity.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McCartney
President

Floyd Cheung
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion