Dear Members of the UMBC Community,
Over the weekend, we watched the violent, hate-driven acts that took place in Charlottesville and on the University of Virginia campus. On behalf of the UMBC community, we offer our prayers and our deepest condolences to the families and communities of those directly affected by these appalling acts of terror and intimidation.
We strongly condemn the racist, hate-filled ideology used by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups to attack and instill fear in our fellow citizens. This is a time for our leaders and for each of us to speak out against racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, discrimination against our LGBTQ and immigrant communities, religious intolerance, and bigotry of any kind.
While respecting the Constitutional rights to free speech and assembly, we have a moral responsibility to safeguard these freedoms from abusive inflammatory rhetoric and acts of hate, intimidation, and violence.
Our University community is dedicated to open inquiry and by welcoming minds from all backgrounds and perspectives we know that our diversity is our strength. As members of the UMBC community, we each have a special responsibility to seek the truth and build understanding between groups and across different perspectives. UMBC is and always will be a community that values inclusion, diversity, and respect for all the members of our community.
We encourage anyone who witnesses or is the victim of a hate/bias incident, harrassment, or a hate crime to report the matter to the UMBC Police Department, Office of Student Life, Office of Human Resources, or Office of Human Relations.
Freeman Hrabowski and Philip Rous
