Statements of Solidarity Condemning Racism
Last week, two groups of LSA faculty formed to compose two different but related statements. The first was meant to mobilize faculty expertise to contextualize the white supremacist flyers found on campus on Monday, September 26. They sought to model what informed speech looks like and to use knowledge to combat bigotry.
The second statement was penned in solidarity with our students, especially African American students, who have felt threatened by those flyers and marginalized on this campus.
Both statements went live at approximately noon on Friday, September 30. Both were defaced a little after 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 2. The first statement had been endorsed by 335 members of the U-M faculty and staff. The second statement had been signed by 384. Printed below are links to the texts of the statements, along with the signatures collected before they were vandalized. We offer them here as a historical artifact.
These statements, which have continued to gain signatures after they were restored, can be found using the links below. New signatures will be appended to the originals. If you are a member of the U-M faculty or staff, we invite you to consider signing in solidarity with our students because facts matter and knowledge is stronger than hate.
—Angela Dillard, Earl Lewis Collegiate Professor of Afroamerican & African Studies and in the Residential College; Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts