A Statement on Systemic Racism and Disasters
We come together as institutes committed to social justice to strongly condemn the ongoing structural violence against Black communities, most recently on display with the murder of Mr. George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department. Justice demands that all officers involved, including those who stood by without intervening, must be held accountable.
Police brutality is endemic to the long and painful history of economic and state-sponsored abuse of people of color and especially of African Americans and people of the African diaspora. Police brutality, and the structural white supremacy and militarization that feed it, must end. Racism and structural inequality are also evident in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on health and well-being in Black, Latinx, and Native American communities.
We support Black communities in the ongoing and urgent struggle for justice, including through recent protests. We strongly urge that the right to protest be protected.
Universities and research institutions should play a vital role in realizing human rights and promoting social, legal and economic justice, nationally, locally and worldwide. As research institutions at Northeastern University, we are committed to racial and social justice. We will strive to maximize our efforts to overcome the root causes of racism and exclusion in the US, and to pursue a path that seeks equality for all, including for Black people and communities of color in the Greater Boston area.
We call on educators, researchers and practitioners to work in support of justice, equality and respect for human rights.
Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy
Center for Public Interest, Advocacy and Collaboration
Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity
School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
Boston Area Research Initiative
Read the full statement from the North American Alliance of Hazards and Disaster Research Institutes