In the wake of continuous and frequent deaths resulting from police brutality against Black Americans, the Boston University community has joined the discussion on recent national protests and racial tensions.
BU President Robert Brown sent an email to the BU community Monday afternoon, which addressed the recent killings and protests, COVID-19 and BU’s dedication to returning to campus in the Fall.
After receiving much criticism from the student body for focusing on campus restorations and the pandemic, Brown sent a second letter in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
In his follow-up letter, Brown acknowledged that discussing a return to campus in his initial email was “a mistake.” He added that in the coming months, the University will take more steps to combat racism and promote social and economic justice.
“Many of you read that letter and have told me I did not do a good job in expressing how I felt about this tragic situation and the state of our country,” Brown wrote. “Hundreds of you spoke from the heart, and I hear you loud and clear.”
UMOJA: The Black Student Union and BU Student Government began discussing a GoFundMe page Sunday to raise money for organizations dedicated to fighting for equality.
The fundraiser officially launched 24 hours later, UMOJA Vice President Delice Nsubayi said, and surpassed their initial goal of raising $10,000 in one week in less than three hours.
As of Wednesday night, more than $75,000 have been raised by over 2,500 donors. In addition, over 150 on-campus organizations have joined and participated in the fundraiser.
“If we reach all demographics, then we’re not just targeting the Black community but everybody,” Nsubayi said. “This isn’t just a Black versus white issue, this is everybody versus racism.”
Two donations appeared under the names of Robert A. Brown and Jean Morrison Wednesday evening to the fundraiser.
Brown contributed $2,000 and University Provost Morrison, who confirmed her donation in an email with The Daily Free Press, gave $1,000.
A donation was also made under the name of Sandro Galea, dean and Robert A. Knox professor at the School of Public Health, in the amount of $500.
Students were given the opportunity to share their reactions to evolving national events stemming from George Floyd’s death in the “Coffee and Conversation: Minneapolis” session hosted Monday by the Howard Thurman Center.
Pedro Falci, associate director for the HTC, served as the moderator for Monday’s two-and-a-half-hour session. He said there were about 300 student participants throughout the span of the conversation, which opened with Falci asking students how they were feeling.
“Sometimes at the University, we’re so academic-minded,” Falci said. “I think it was important to give the students specifically the prompt of talking about emotions.”
In the Zoom conversation, Falci went down the list of students who had requested to speak with the Raise Hand function. He said the discussion allowed participants to delve into the wide range of emotions the last few days have made them feel.
Student Government President Oliver Pour, who attended part of the open forum, said the event was powerful to witness.
“It helped students speak on a platform and to have people actually listen to them,” Pour said. “I think we need more of those.”
The official BU Instagram page posted a series of six stories Tuesday that it wrote was “for our BU community by our BU community” and contained “actionable steps” individuals can take to “combat systematic racism toward Black students.” The pages listed resources such as upcoming events, student organizations, books, documentaries and a link to a BU Today article detailing student reactions to the protests.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore released Monday a personal statement in the form of a letter, entitled “I Am Angry. But I Will Not Waste My Anger” in BU Today’s Voices & Opinion section.
Elmore wrote about his personal struggles with racism and that he believes people should take this time “to do what our rights allow and what our conscience compels.”
The Daily Free Press reached out to Elmore for further comment, but his assistant Katherine Cornetta responded that he would prefer for his letter to stand alone.
BU’s African-American Studies program released its own “Statement on the Murder of George Floyd and the Ongoing Crises of State Violence,” which demanded justice for Floyd and promised to combat racism.
The University also highlighted other events and resources available to students via BU Today, including a Zoom town hall held by UMOJA Wednesday and a series of virtual conversations held by BU Diversity & Inclusion. The first conversation, “Mental Health, Race, and COVID-19,” will be held Thursday at 11 a.m.
Tori Murry, a rising senior in the College of Communication, said her initial reaction to Brown’s first letter was that it came fairly late — a week after the death of George Floyd. She also said it seemed Brown’s solution was to look forward to bringing the community back on campus.
“It was also a bit shocking to see that the majority of the message was about COVID-19,” Murry said. “It was a little bit discouraging to see that that was his overall message to our student body.”
After reading Elmore’s letter, Diane Hwangpo, a rising junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she wished Brown’s initial letter had been more like Elmore’s.
“It honestly felt a lot more human,” Hwangpo said. “You could really tell the emotion behind the words that he was writing down for students.”
Murry said that while there are still months before Fall semester, she is unsure of how current events unfolding across the country and within the BU community will impact anyone returning to campus.
“When we get back on campus in the Fall, those of us who choose to return, I’m not really sure what it will look like,” Murray said. “I’m really hoping that it will feel more like a community of people who see each other and are there to hear each other when the time calls.”
UPDATE: The donation made under the name Robert A. Brown has been confirmed to be a personal donation made by President Brown. SPH Dean Sandro Galea also confirmed his contribution to the fund.
UPDATE: Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore made a confirmed personal donation of $500 to the fund Thursday evening. Late Thursday night, the fundraiser surpassed its goal of $100,000.
UPDATE: Boston University Admissions staff contributed to a confirmed $1,300 donation made on behalf of the office Monday morning. The fund officially closed Tuesday afternoon, and raised a total of $141,460.
The Daily Free Press is a partner of the Boston University S.O. Fight for Social Justice fund. Editor-in-Chief Angela Yang, a member of the Board of Directors who made the decision, did not edit the section of this article that featured the fundraiser.
