Members of the Psychology Department want to express our strong support for those who organized the Black Lives Matter programming, and encourage them to continue the important educational work they are doing on campus. The organizers gave our community an opportunity to deepen our learning about issues of police brutality and racial inequality. The work of this group was met by disrespect and hostility from those who tore down, defaced, or covered over the Black Lives Matter posters anonymously in the cover of night. The college is working very hard to create a learning community based in mutual respect and understanding, work that is supported by many faculty, administration, staff and students. Such a community requires that we educate ourselves about stereotypes, prejudice, and systemic inequalities, and demands that we can express differences in beliefs face-to-face in productive dialogue.

Sincerely,
Buffy Aries
JP Baird
Katherine Clemans
Amy Demorest
Allen Hart
Isabel Margolin
Julia McQuade
Carrie Palmquist
Lisa Raskin
Catherine Sanderson
Sarah Turgeon