Overcoming prejudice and seeking justice
A statement from the Institute for Humanities Research
“I can’t breathe” is a phrase that now resonates loudly, testifying to a longstanding history of violence against Black Americans. Breath is life. “I can’t breathe” testifies not only to the senseless killing of George Floyd but also the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Dion Johnson and too many others. And “I can’t breathe” recalls, too, the disproportionate toll on Black lives taken by the coronavirus.
Black Lives Matter. And the Institute for Humanities Research (IHR) stands in solidarity with the people of our country who have risen up to proclaim this truth. Racial injustice is a systemic problem. The long history of violence against Black people in this nation needs to be understood to drive reform, justice and equity. We are called to act now. We are humanists; we work in the fields of history, philosophy, literature, digital humanities and more. Drawing on the perspectives that our work affords, we commit to using our knowledge, experiences and resources to uplift the voices of Black Americans and tell the history of Black America.
The IHR is committed to building upon the foundation of ASU’s Charter and taking “fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health” of the communities we serve. Alongside the ASU President’s Office, our Deans, faculty, staff and students, we urge ASU humanities to move forward with initiatives that promise to advance equity and racial justice. We recognize and support the important work that our humanities colleagues are already doing to address racial inequity and injustice. We know, too, that we need to redouble our efforts.
We acknowledge that conversations are not enough. The IHR will aggregate antiracist resources to augment ASU Humanities courses and curricula.* We will require our existing research initiatives to collaborate on strategies to center Black voices and experiences in order to answer the call of service to our communities. Over the next two weeks, we will organize strategies with our stakeholders. In coordination with the many humanities units we serve, we will announce publicly these initiatives as soon as we are able.
In the midst of this longstanding, historical crisis, the Institute for Humanities Research pledges to find methods, models and ways to be human and humane in the world together. We pledge to take up the humanities as a source of empowerment and a foundation for reckoning with disparity, overcoming prejudice and seeking justice.
—The Institute for Humanities Research
Authors include Elizabeth Langland, Director; Ron Broglio, Co-Director; Elizabeth Grumbach, Assistant Director; Gaymon Bennett, Co-Lead of the Humane Tech Initiative; Lauren Whitby, Communications Specialist; Valeria Cabello, Communications Assistant; and Victoria Vandekop, IHR Humane Tech Research Assistant.
* This will include resources such as “Teaching in an Uprising: Readings on Race and Democracy” as aggregated and posted by the AAIHS.
The IHR is currently in the process of compiling resources and developing strategies to put our words to action. Please stay tuned for these updates as they are published on this page.