Faculty Statement: Black Lives Matter
Friday, June 5, 2020The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University stands in solidarity with
those protesting white supremacy in the United States and across the globe. We have recently
witnessed the murder of George Floyd, the latest in five centuries of brutal killings of Black,
brown, and indigenous people. This past week, pandemic deaths in the United States also surpassed
100,000—a disproportionate number of whom were Black and brown people. We stand in solidarity with
students, faculty, and staff that have unevenly borne the emotional and physical toll of these
times. As anthropologists, we recognize how our own discipline has silenced Black voices,
naturalized anti-Black violence, and reproduced white privilege. We re-dedicate our scholarly and
pedagogical practice to decolonize our discipline and the academy and to speak out against land
dispossession, institutionalized death, and police brutality. We re-commit ourselves
to supporting those invested in overturning structural anti-Black racism. We re-commit ourselves to
creating and fostering an intellectual and professional environment where students, faculty and
staff can pursue careers without bearing the cost of white supremacy.
Mary Weismantel
Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology