Hate Has No Place Here. There are signs stating this across our campus and within the Honors College space in Burnham Hall: it’s a conviction all of us are committed to, and we reaffirm it vocally in the wake of events last week that showed us all, yet again, the destructive power of racism and violence.
In one senseless rampage, the murderer in Atlanta spread pain and fear across the country: feelings that, like bigotry, should have no place anywhere. Students, their families, our neighbors, and coworkers became targets of anti-Asian hate, in tragic company with all who for decades and centuries have been subjected to the evil of racism, that sinister undercurrent that undermines the values we profess as part of our national character.
The Honors College is a community inclusive of all: this is our strength and our mission. We condemn this attack and stand with you and your families in offering comfort and support. Your advisors and my fellow deans and I are available to talk, as are other resources and offices on campus. Together we can fight back against the fear, fear that I heard in my Chinese-born daughter’s voice this weekend.
Together we can prove that hate must have no place, here or anywhere.
With warm regards,
Ralph Keen
Dean
