Statement of Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement
The Stony Brook School of Social Welfare faculty assert our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Black lives matter for the same reason that everyone’s life matters; however, we affirm that Black lives matter precisely because institutions, laws, practices, and behaviors have so long denied it and ignored the pain of Black communities.
We affirm our solidarity with this movement and all other struggles to end the dehumanization of people of color and to promote equitable and humane treatment for all people. This dehumanization, especially targeted at Black and Brown people is pervasive in our culture and institutions, and leads to the perpetration of systemic violence and human rights violations upon communities of color and other disenfranchised people.
As a School of Social Welfare, our mission and ethics direct us to be on the forefront of equity, dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice, and human rights; therefore, we will continue to:
...be agents of change to end racial injustice, through our research, teaching, and community service and partnerships, locally and globally;
...establish critical dialogues within and beyond our school regarding how racism and other forms of structural oppression and inequality negatively impact our society and our communities;
… build relationships with organizations committed to racial and economic justice;
…join with others to develop policy solutions that promote social justice and equity for Black communities; and
...confront the silence and inaction that contribute to institutional racism and other structural inequalities.
