In response to the recent tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other African Americans—in many of these cases at the hands of law enforcement—this initiative is designed to promote long-term change in the college and on the campus, and beyond.

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Grounded in the behavioral and social sciences, our mission is to elevate the status and experience of African Americans. To do so, we will engage in supporting scholarship, teaching, and dialogues of all types, and at all levels, to fight against anti-Black racism in our society—individual, structural, and cultural. 

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As a college, we will self-examine and will promote changes in how we engage in these issues; how we teach about these issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels; and how we hire, mentor, support and retain faculty and staff. A top priority of these reflections will be to identify future pathways and avenues for lasting change.