Our Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter
MWGS Faculty Statement of Support
Originally posted on Facebook on June 5, 2020, in honor of Breonna Taylor's birthday
In honor of Breonna Taylor's birthday today, we publicly condemn white supremacy and the police murders of people in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities of color. We join everyone in our department and across the world who are seeking ways to deepen our commitment to challenging the long and ever-present histories of state- and police-sponsored violence and white supremacy that disproportionately target, injure, and kill minoritized peoples. The recent police murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor is the culmination and continuation of these histories. We also join those who are engaging in protest, whether it involves donating funds, marching in the street, emailing and calling elected officials, creating art, teaching yourself and others, or having conversations with friends and family. And we recognize that the current protests are the culmination of legacies of resistance and survival that have emerged from communities facing oppression, colonization, genocide, and other forms of dispossession.
There are wonderful resources created and compiled by academics and activists, some of which we wanted to offer as we, together, find ways to rupture and transform the status quo. We are also including a link to the official National Women's Studies Association's statement, with which we stand in solidarity.
Anti-racism resources
- Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources - Google Docs
- This is a working document for scaffolding anti-racism resources. The goal is to facilitate growth for white folks to become allies, and eventually accomplices for anti-racist work. These resources have been ordered in an attempt to make them more accessible. We will continue to add resources.
- The UNT History Department has created an anti-racism syllabus.
- The Sociological Review blog is focusing on activism as its theme for June.
- The Radical History Review has created "A Reading List on Policing, Rebellion, and the Criminalization of Blackness"
- Sample letter for communicating with elected officials and representatives
- To identify Texas state representatives: https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home
- to find city of Denton representatives: https://tx-denton.civicplus.com/413/City-Council
- Find your Council Member | City of Denton: https://tx-denton.civicplus.com/413/City-Council
- 26 Ways to Be in Struggle Beyond the Streets
- COVID Black - is a Black Digital Humanities (Black DH) project on Black health
- #BlackPoetsSpeakOut
- Code Switch podcast
- Irresistible podcast
- Dr. Layli Maparyan's recent blog on the response to the murder of George Floyd, offering a womanist perspective
In solidarity,
Agatha Beins and AnaLouise Keating
Page last updated 9:32 AM, January 20, 2023