More than 30 historically black college and university (HBCU) presidents and chancellors has come together to denounce America’s gun violence problem in response to the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philander Castile in Falcon Heights and the subsequent deadly cop ambush in Dallas that took the lives of five police officers. The 34 HBCU leaders have penned a letter taking a stand in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement announcing plans of the first-ever HBCU national symposium on gun violence. The following is the full text of the letter.

A man raises his arms at a rally during the National Action Network National March Against Police Violence in Washington December 13, 2014. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington on Saturday for a march to protest the killings of unarmed black men by law enforcement officers and to urge Congress to do more to protect African-Americans from unjustified police violence. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4HWG2

We, the undersigned Presidents of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HBCUs”) remain brokenhearted over the recent events that have taken place in Baton Rouge, LA, St. Paul, MN, and Dallas, TX. Our thoughts and prayers are with the impacted communities at large and the families who have lost their loved ones. These incidents have shaken our nation to its core and caused many people to question our country’s direction.

As people of deep faith and a unique sense of history, we know that senseless violence has never been the way forward in America. We are a society where, despite what many would lead you to believe, that which binds us to each other is far greater than anything that seeks to divide us. In the words of our President Barack Obama, “We are one people, we are one nation.”

HBCUs, by virtue of their special place in this nation, have always understood the hard work and sacrifices that must be made in order for America to live up to its ideals. From the moment that our doors first opened in 1842, the roles that our institutions have played were never narrowly confined to educating the men and women who sat in our classes and walked our campuses. Instead, ours was a much broader and more vital mission. We were charged with providing a light in the darkness for a people who had been constitutionally bound to the dark. Our very creation, existence, and persistence were, and always have been a duality of collaboration and protest. In this respect, America’s HBCUs were the birthplace of the idea that Black lives matter to our country.

Expressing our support for the idea that Black lives matter is in no way a declaration that other lives do not matter as well. As leaders of some of the most diverse colleges and universities in the country, we are well steeped in the value of open and inclusive communities. It is because of our experience with building strong and diverse communities that we unite, and invite all Americans to join us in the following series of actions that are intended to help propel our country forward to become a more perfect union:

1. The first-ever HBCU National Symposium on Gun Violence.

2. A commitment to raising the awareness of the debilitating impact of trauma on the lives of those who have been exposed to loss as a result of gun violence.

We know that none of these activities will bring back the lives that have been lost. Our hope, however, is that these efforts will foster dialogues that help to accelerate the creation of an environment where all human lives are valued equally and 2 discrimination based on one’s skin color, gender, and economic standing will become a relic of the past.

As we move forward in our endeavors, we will forever remember the lives of those slain and the loss their families have experienced. While we pray that their hearts and minds will one day know peace, we pledge to aggressively continue our efforts so that these types of prayers will one day become unnecessary.

With love and in solidarity,

Makola Abdullah, Virginia State University

Roslyn Clark Artis, Florida Memorial University

David L. Beckley, Rust College

Juliette B. Bell, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Colette Pierce Burnette, Huston-Tillotson University

Mickey L. Burnim, Bowie State University

William B. Bynum, Jr., Mississippi Valley State University

Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Spelman College

Lady June Cole, Allen University

Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Shaw University

George T. French, Jr., Miles College

Rosalind Fuse-Hall, Bennett College

Cynthia Hammond, Central State University

Logan Hampton, Lane College

Forrest Harris, Sr., American Baptist College

Fitz Hill, Arkansas Baptist College

Anthony L. Jenkins, West Virginia State University

Brian Johnson, Tuskegee University

Paul Jones, Fort Valley State University

Walter M. Kimbrough, Dillard University

Marsha V. Krotseng, Bluefield State University

Elmira Mangum, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Ronald Mason, University of District of Columbia

Eddie N. Moore, Jr., Norfolk State University

Charlie Nelms, Group Mentor, Ret. Chancellor, N. Carolina Central University

Alfred Rankins, Jr., Alcorn State University

Kevin Rome, Lincoln University

Kent J. Smith, Jr., Langston University

Roderick Smothers, Philander Smith College

Michael J. Sorrell, Paul Quinn College

Dwaun J. Warmack, Harris-Stowe State University

Harry L. Williams, Delaware State University

David Wilson, Morgan State University

John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., Morehouse College

2 COMMENTS

  1. I studied that list with nervous anticipation, praying my Alma Matter, showed it mattered. But after three readings, no SUBR or SUNO. I cried, “foul” dam asses. I’m ashamed. I want to curse their asses.

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