Tablet Rutgers Logo
Tablet Rutgers Logo
Campus Life

Rutgers Speaks Out for Racial and Social Justice 

George Floyd protest in Florida

Date

August 26, 2020

Media Contact

Andrea Alexander

andrea.alexander@rutgers.edu

Members of the Rutgers community have come together to call for change as protests against police violence and racism sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody continue nationwide.

We have gathered some of the words that our students, faculty, administrators and coaches have shared on social media expressing how events of the last several days have touched their lives.

The Scarlet Knights football team released a black and white video of team members expressing "pain, sorrow, fear and anger'' in response to events. The video was produced after the program created a 20-person committee that includes players, coaches and other staff members to address their response, the New York Post reports. The program also started a social media hashtag #Chop4Change as a long-term commitment to social justice:

Rutgers Law School shared a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers University-Newark shared the words of its namesake, Rutgers' celebrated alumnus and civil rights pioneer.

Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, called racism and discrimination a public health crisis:

Salamishah Tillet, a Henry Rutgers Professor of African American Studies and Creative Writing at Rutgers-Newark, shared book recommendations on race in America.

Rutgers men's basketball rising senior Geo Baker also shared his thoughts on Twitter:

Faculty, staff and graduate students at Rutgers-Camden signed a letter seeking change to address systemic racism.

The Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Rutgers-New Brunswick also quotes Robeson – “The answer to injustice is not to silence the critic, but to end the injustice” – and suggests ways to take action.

The School of Communication and Information's Diversity Committee also issued a statement: "We stand hand in hand to bring a better future for Black and Brown people in America and for our country. We are honored to renew our commitment to this work."

Salvador Mena, vice chancellor for student affairs at Rutgers-New Brunswick, wrote in a letter to the community, "As Scarlet Knights, our commitment to our values of inclusion, equity, and respect for all human dignity reminds us that we have both a collective and individual responsibility to each other in responding to these injustices and that it is more important now than ever before for each of us to engage with one another in meaningful ways. I hope you will do your part, as I will do mine, in reaching out to one another, checking in, and lending support."

President Robert Barchi extends a message to the Rutgers alumni community regarding racial injustice:

Women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer issued a statement calling for national unity to bring about change:

Chancellors across Rutgers shared messages with the community.

"We must not let ourselves become immune to the injustice we witnessed this week or come to the point when we let these acts of violence go unacknowledged,'' wrote Rutgers-New Brunswick chancellor Christopher Molloy and Brian L. Strom, chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

"We cannot turn a blind eye when our fellow Americans are denied those basic rights. As an academic community, it is incumbent for us to seek to understand and address the root causes of our prejudices," wrote Rutgers-Camden chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon.

"I want to say it will change—because it has to change—and I want to say that I truly believe that our Rutgers-Newark collective makes change happen—working, as scholars, staff and students, collaborators in community, interns for justice, families in Newark, to grow a new system of equity,'' wrote Rutgers-Newark chancellor Nancy Cantor. 

Rutgers Business School -- Newark and New Brunswick Dean Lei Lei said faculty, staff, students and alumni stand together against racism and systemic inequality. "We celebrate and cherish our diversity, knowing we learn more from each other because of our different experiences, cultures and perspectives," Lei wrote. "RBS will be part of the solution for a better tomorrow for all."

Student groups at Rutgers-Camden took to Twitter to voice support for the black community.

Rutgers men's basketball' s Ron Harper Jr. called for unity in the fight against racism.

In a video message, Umme Salim-Beasley, head coach of Rutgers gymnastics, says senseless violence must end.

Patrick Hobbs, director of University Athletics, also called for change in a message to student-athletes, coaches and staff.

''I can’t pretend to fully appreciate the weight and pain our students of color feel because of these events. Nor do I have any ready answers. But I know I speak for everyone in our department when I say we must do our part to bend the arc toward justice and equality,'' Hobbs wrote.

 

You May Also Like