The Department of Political Science is Committed to Racial Equality and Justice

The Department of Political Science joins the College of Arts & Sciences in standing in solidarity “with those working to confront systemic racial injustice in our communities and in the United States. We recognize the disproportionate burden of racism and other forms of violence on many within our A&S community during this time. We affirm our support of faculty, students, staff, and alumni in standing against all forms of racism, discrimination, and bias.”  We affirm that Black lives matter.

Police brutality and other forms of systemic racial injustice against black Americans has been a constant throughout U.S. history, sparking protests in the 1960s and the 1990s and now, in 2020. What is different about protests today is the widespread demonstrations of support across racial-ethnic, economic and other groups in the U.S. and abroad. This breadth of support largely stems from trends and policies that have exacerbated racial injustice, including:

While police officers in Lexington, Kentucky, and around the country also affirm that Blacks Lives Matter, we condemn the many acts of police brutality against peaceful demonstrators and journalists exercising their First Amendment freedoms because these acts jeopardize core democratic freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

As a Department, we are committed to educating students, practitioners and the community about racial and other forms of injustice through organized events, scholarship and practical experiences.

Below, is a list of resources to help us, our students and the community understand and combat racial and other types of injustices in the U.S. and other countries.