VSU President Responds to George Floyd Murder and Ongoing Protests
The torture and senseless murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans continues to highlight the systemic flaws in our nation and in our criminal justice system. The subsequent reactions this past weekend was a reflection of the raw emotions brought about from years of being victimized by institutional racism. It was a reflection of the justified anger and ongoing outrage over the senseless and unpunished violence that continues to oppress Black Americans.
As a black man, the father of a black man, and the president of a historically black university, I stand with you in the pain, justified anger, and fury in this movement to unmask this blatant disregard for black lives. I acknowledge and share in the feelings of the hurt, frustration, anger and emotional fatigue.
I ask members of the Virginia State University Community to stand in solidarity in unequivocally denouncing and rejecting both racism and violence in any form. If you choose to peacefully protest injustice in your community, please protect yourself by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.
I stand with you as we use our platform to transform lives at Virginia State University and as we use our peaceful and productive protests to transform a broken society. I stand with you as we collectively demand an end to racism and violence against Black Americans.
In Trojan Pride,
Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. President