We, the faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, stand in solidarity with Black students, faculty, and staff to end long-standing racial injustice and stop the dehumanization of Black people. We insist that Black lives matter. We condemn the ongoing racism and violence against Black people and communities, and stand by our students and colleagues who are grieving and angry right now in response to the brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, McKinsley Lincoln, Nina Pop, and so many others. We acknowledge the pain, distress, and rage that many Black, Indigenous and people of color may feel more acutely because of their lived experience.
We furthermore express our care and deep concern for our students and colleagues of color in the face of the disproportionate scale of illness and death that Black and Latinx communities are experiencing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We will work with students, faculty, and staff to counter racism, discrimination, oppression, and injustice within our academic community and, specifically, within our Department. Moving forward, we reaffirm our Department’s mission to research and teaching that confronts critical inequities and to train epidemiologists and biostatisticians who will serve underrepresented communities.