An Open Letter to the Harvard Law School Community

We, as faculty and staff of Harvard Law School, have been profoundly affected by the recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson and Staten Island, and the wave of protests that have followed. We know from our daily work the many ways that the legal system can be used to create positive change. We also know that the legal system does not protect and bind us all equally and in important ways needs to be fixed.

Recognizing the long history of discrimination and violence against black people and other people of color and acknowledging the racial injustices within our legal system are necessary first steps to changing that system. The killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have brought these issues into stark relief once again. We have been particularly inspired by students on campus, in Boston, and throughout the country who are pushing for change. We believe students should not be raising their voices alone.

We commit to supporting our students. We will always have an open door and a willing ear. We also commit to working together with students and other members of the faculty and staff to find common ground to better address systemic institutional racism that exists in this country.

This is an extraordinary moment in American history. To all those involved in efforts to push for change, we will engage, individually and collectively, in the fight against injustice, particularly racial injustice.

More than 300 members of our community have singed on to this letter. If you want to sign on, please e-mail Lucy Cummings at lcummings@law.harvard.edu.