UMBC History Faculty Statement on Systemic Racial Injustice

We grieve the recent and brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and George Floyd. They represent only the latest in a long pattern of violence directed against Black men and women in the United States, violence that has been all too often enacted or enabled by police. These recent killings unfolded against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis, a pandemic that has disproportionately taken Black lives as a result of systemic racial and economic discrimination. 

We understand why people have taken to the public square to express their outrage and their frustration. As historians, we know that unrest of this nature also has a long history in human societies. As scholars, we recognize that peaceful protests, property damage, and civil uprising are all ways that oppressed people have expressed themselves when the state refuses to address their needs.  Those who critique the current protests for failing to adhere to a simplistic model of the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement distort a history in which civil actions that began peacefully often ended in violence, sometimes by the very police officers charged with maintaining peace. 

The faculty of the Department of History at UMBC has broad interest in protest, power, and change in history. We recognize our responsibility to help illuminate how societal structures have enforced racial and economic inequality. We work to illustrate how individuals have struggled to shape better worlds, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. 

Our study of the past tells us that real change only begins with protest. It also requires sustained dialogue and political engagement. As a discipline, history advances methods of inquiry, discussion, and interpretation that can create a solid foundation for advancing social change. As a Department, we are committed to creating an inclusive atmosphere for the kinds of critical inquiry and community engagement that can help challenge systems of oppression. 

For a tool to help you talk about race from a historically grounded position, look here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race

-The UMBC History Department

Statement by USM Leadership on Structural Racism and the Killing of George Floyd

Baltimore, Md. (May 29, 2020) – This week, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, a brutal act that recalled other recent killings of black Americans. We acknowledge with one voice the structural racism that’s taking the lives of our fellow citizens, and we stand in solidarity as we speak out against racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, discrimination against our LGBTQ and immigrant communities, religious intolerance, and bigotry of any kind.
We are justly saddened, angered, and frustrated by these acts of brutality and the lack of action when black men and women are killed. Mindful of public health guidelines, we also affirm the right of our communities to protest safely and peacefully to address their legitimate concerns.
We believe that public colleges and universities are obligated to help end inequity and to promote social justice. We draw on the leadership and wisdom of our students, faculty, and staff, many of whom confront these issues every day through their teaching, research, and activism.
We encourage all members of the USM community to seek support, if needed, and to involve themselves in addressing these challenges. We urge our students and colleagues not only to vote, but to help safeguard and improve our democracy.
In the days and weeks ahead, we will be listening to the voices of those who are too often silenced or ignored. When we gather together on campus once again, we will examine with greater resolve the racism and systemic inequities that so gravely endanger our minority communities. We are proud to be a part of a University System that believes in humanity, justice, and opportunity for all.
Please take care of yourselves, your families, and your communities during this difficult time.