Dear Panther Nation,

These are dark and difficult days. In the midst of a global pandemic, unprecedented in any of our lifetimes, we are witnessing again the all too common horror of police brutality and racist attacks against African Americans. The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, like so many before them, send the false and racist message that Black lives do not matter. We must work to right that wrong.

I am always concerned about the well-being of everyone in the Pitt community. But as our campus strives to reopen in this new era of wearing masks and keeping our distance in a time of turbulence, I am especially concerned about our students, faculty, and staff members of color. Please know that University leadership cares deeply about your health and safety. We stand together against racist violence and injustice.

Our mission of education and research offers a way forward through these deeply challenging times. As educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune once wrote, "Knowledge is the prime need of the hour." When protests wane, it will be important to continue to intensify our critical understanding of the roots of racism, violence, and oppression. Just as our biomedical researchers are rushing to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, our social scientists and humanist scholars must continue their work to further our understanding, sharpen our critique, and offer solutions to longstanding racism, white supremacy, and police misconduct.

We are—and must be first and foremost—an inclusive, equitable, and caring community of scholars, learners, teachers, and colleagues. Working together in mutual recognition of the dignity and equal moral worth of each of us, we can overcome any scourge of the body or the soul. Let us work for justice that we may flourish in peace and health.

In solidarity,

Ann

Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor