The Department of American Culture lends its voice and support to the many within the university and the many more beyond who have protested against police violence and its broader and underlying structural disparities. The department has long stood as a center for the informed critique of the role of white supremacy in both the history and the current social constitution of the United States.
The past weeks and months have been as terrible as they have been illuminating. The department is committed to opposing racism and to supporting its students, faculty, and staff. We honor the memory of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arberry, and Rayshard Brooks as we pray that this awful list, with all its legions of forebears, does not lengthen.