It is difficult to know how best to respond in a moment like this, but it is even more difficult to be silent. The images from DC are truly heartbreaking and surely feel personally threatening for many in our community. For those in a school of public and international affairs like ours, it is beyond painful to see the symbols and spaces of public process and public service defiled. The power and impact of white supremacy is on display.
There will be much to reflect on, comment about, and most importantly take action on in the days to come. I will be there with you as we offer evidence, practice, and advocacy to ensure that democratic values win, that inequitable structures are dismantled, and that the value of work in public service stands strong.
At the 1959 March for Integrated Schools, Dr. Martin Luther King shared this quote, "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and finer world to live in." For me, this quote is a reminder today that our public work in institutions, organizations, and communities is about the work of humanity. It is our obligation.
In the now, please care for yourselves and those around you.