Statement on Systemic Racism

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 11:37:02 -0400

On May 25, 2020 George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis at the hands of the police, and the event reignited both a national conversation and one at UMBC, about police brutality, the over-incarceration of African-Americans, and the denial of equality and opportunity in the workplace, housing, politics, healthcare, and in particular, education.

The staff of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships wants to affirm our support for and solidarity with our Black students, faculty, and staff at UMBC and beyond. We condemn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery, and Freddie Gray, along with the countless other Black lives that have been taken. We stand in opposition to systemic racism and consciously work to be inclusive of black, brown, queer, women, first-generation, immigrants, disabled, and other underrepresented communities in our programs and opportunities. Those of us who benefit from white privilege commit to doing the work to practice anti-racism and foster inclusivity and diversity in our researchers, speakers, recruitment and outreach, and our language. We will continue to work on these issues with faculty who mentor students, and provide resources to ensure the equal treatment of students of color in our research and scholarship programs.

We will work to promote a culture of inclusivity in our department. We will be critically engaged with the campus community as we move forward to create real change in this moment and beyond. We are grateful for Dr. Hrabowski and his leadership during these transformative times. We stand by the statement issued by USM leadership and Dr. Hrabowski and take these values as our own. Black Lives Matter.

YOU ARE (UR) Undergraduate Research!

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