We, the scholars of the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, express our outrage over the murders and police killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor among countless others. We condemn the underlying forces of white supremacy and state violence that, for centuries, have led to devastating loss of life and oppression of the African American community. We stand in solidarity with the black community and denounce the ways in which the cultural and institutional tools deployed to oppress African Americans have also been applied to immigrants, Native peoples, and communities of color. We strongly support the right to civic protest and deplore the use of force against peaceful protestors. In this unprecedented historical moment, the members of the Immigration and Ethnic History Society will use our historical expertise to educate the public about the histories of white supremacist violence in the United States, promote the teaching of race in our K-12 and college classrooms, support the professional development of scholars of color in the academy, combat anti-Blackness within our own communities, and inform the work of policymakers fighting for an antiracist future.
In addition, IEHS has also signed on to the American Historical Association’s recent statement “Confronting a Sordid History of Racist Violence in the United States.”