Statement from Dean Farmer: Accountability, justice, and commitment

Dear colleagues, friends, and students,

The guilty verdict that was announced this evening in the murder of George Floyd is one small step in the racial justice reckoning that our country has avoided for so long. This verdict will not bring George Floyd back, does not erase the great miscarriage of justice in so many other cases, and does not solve the systemic issues of racial injustice and brutality in our society. But it does offer some hope. 

This evening we are grateful for one jury’s ability to engage in clear thinking and to open their eyes and see the obvious – to hold one officer accountable. This is a great relief! But it also highlights the fundamental problems in our society. We needed a multi-week trial to determine something that we all saw for ourselves. And we knew from too many precedents that today’s verdict was far from assured.  This verdict is a testimony to the overwhelming evidence and courage of people who came forward, to persistent national and global outrage over George Floyd’s death, and to a small dent in the “blue wall” that protects police behavior. None of this can be taken for granted!  

Today is a good day. It does not erase 400 years of racism and it doesn’t make a brighter future course inevitable. It does focus our nation and the world on the reality of accountability and the possibility of justice. It highlights the very real need to support each other as we exhale in relief with this verdict and grieve for lives lost, centuries of abuse, and the continued racism, violence, and inequities that surround us. Together we must stay committed to our vision of a racially just America, and to the work that is needed to get us there. 

Our school has a long-standing commitment to this work – a history of focused attention on race and a commitment to anti-racism. The past year, recent weeks, and today have reminded us of this responsibility and potential. Let us take the momentum of this moment, the legacy of our school, and the palpable demands to fight racism, discrimination, violence, and inequity in all of their manifestations. As a school and as individuals, we must embrace these calls and continue this fight.  

In unity, 

Betsy