Dean Bill Boulding sent the following message to all students, faculty and staff on January 11, 2021
Dear Fuqua community,
As classes resume today, I write to you with a heavy heart as each of us continues to process and reflect on what happened at the United States Capitol last week.
I want to thank President Price for articulating the enormous disquiet induced by the sickening attack on our very democracy. If you have not seen the message he sent to the Duke community on Wednesday, I encourage you to read it below.
There is so much we’ve learned in recent days about the various beliefs, ideologies and motivations present in the group who attacked the Capitol. It has become clear white supremacists were involved in the riots, and the emotion for many of us is still very raw.
I also recognize that each of us will anchor on different issues and therefore have varied reactions to such a deeply troubling event. However, I would offer because we are a business school committed to decency - valuing and elevating others— that we commit anew to educating ourselves on issues that led to such a deeply polarized America.
Please recognize that many of your colleagues will see recent events through the prism of racial inequity and other manifestations of painful hatred that were shocking to see in the U.S. Capitol, like Confederate flags, anti-Semitic attire on some of the rioters and, though the underlying causes may be multi-fold, the very visibly different treatment of last week’s protesters compared to the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
As we progress on our own path toward decency, racial equity and justice, we need to confront and discuss issues that arise lest we derail our journey with silence that could be interpreted as indifference. We hope to offer opportunities for our community to process what has happened. In the meantime, a good place to start if you’d like to read more is the perspective of several Duke professors found here.
While the events of last week have, rightly, induced many negative reactions, we can also learn from this terrible moment. I commit to you that we will use these events as an opportunity to learn and grow together as we engage speakers and through additional programming this academic year.
With hope for brighter days ahead,
Bill
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