Support Anti-Racism/Resist Anti-Blackness

Statement from the English Department:

All of us in the English department have dedicated our lives to working with words. But no words can help George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, or the countless other black Americans who have died as the result of racist violence throughout our country’s history; and words that are not coupled with action cannot bend the arc of history towards justice, or console us in our mourning. 

Whether in Minneapolis or here in Pittsburgh, in Louisville or in Brunswick, GA, the killings of black men and women demand that we act to put an end, once and for all, to the inherent racism within the very institutions that are supposed to serve and protect us as citizens.  What we owe to those who have died at the hands of police officers or self-appointed white vigilantes, and what we owe to our society if we can continue to call it a democracy, is a firm stand against police violence, white supremacy, and all forms of racism. As a department, we support all those students, staff and faculty who risk their lives to peacefully protest and organize against these injustices.  

For us, as educators, action starts with writing, learning and teaching. We are offering a list of resources for engaging in action, and we ask all the members of our community to share more resources with us.