Photo by: @nikkolas_smith
Our hearts are heavy and broken yet again after the cruel and unjust murder of another Black person at the hands of the police. The Blackprint stands in support with the protests fighting against racism and police brutality which started in Minneapolis, MN after the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd. We acknowledge the murder of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor. We honor 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery and contextualize his death as a modern-day lynching.
We stand for journalism and being a voice of the people. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." As students of color, we cannot stand idly by in silence and allow this to happen again. We align with the document composed by the Black Student Unions of the District of Columbia Universities and plead for the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia to listen to the people. Unified with the NAACP, we call for ending our university's relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. We urge our fellow American University students to educate themselves, donate, and carry on this message during this disheartening time. As Desmond Tutu stated, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." It is our collective duty to stand against racism and call out social and political injustices in our everyday lives.
On May 31st, President Sylvia Burwell released a statement expressing her outrage at the senseless killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. While the statement was outside of the normal tone that students receive from the university, it doesn't do enough. We acknowledge that the university stands in solidarity with the Black community, but we need to see more comprehensive reforms that address the racial incidents that continue to play out on our campus. Black students, come the fall semester, need to feel safe and welcome in the AU community.
The Blackprint will continue to provide an outlet for Black students to express their frustrations and come together. Together with AU Black Student Union and other Black organizations, the Blackprint will have a dedicated space on theblackprintau.com for Black organizations events across the campus. Today we HEAL, tomorrow we RESIST, soon we get JUSTICE!
#StayWoke
