Black Lives Matter — Thinking About Civil Rights as the Election Nears

A few weeks ago a Wesleyan student asked me if the University would be willing to fly the Black Lives Matter flag as a sign of our commitment to deal with the persistent effects of systemic racism on campus and off. When he posed this question, I had already been thinking about how to turn Wesleyan’s attention to the importance of the coming election. Perhaps raising the flag would remind all of us of what’s at stake on November 8th.

Black Lives Matter has been the most significant civil rights movement in decades. It has raised questions fundamental to American democracy, law enforcement, mass incarceration, voting rights, access to resources and much, much more. I know very well that not everyone agrees with its tactics or its goals — and the movement itself has many components with different points of view. We raise the flag at Wesleyan not to tell people what to think but to remind people that the time to think, to discuss, to act…. is now.

The Anthropology Department is sponsoring a panel discussion on Black Lives Matter at 4:30 Nov 1st in the Russell House. The Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life has put together a series of panels on election issues more generally. The first one is on the Role of Religion in Politics and takes place October 27 at 7pm PAC 001. More information on the series can be found here.

Whatever one thinks of Black Lives Matter, I hope by raising the movement’s banner we are instigating more discussion, more engagement, more efforts to promote civil rights and to eradicate racism. We will fly the flag until Election Day.