Faculty members of Northwestern’s African American Studies, Asian American Studies and Latina and Latino Studies departments wrote a letter Wednesday in support of NU students who protested institutional racism Friday.

“We are proud of the Northwestern students who worked across various organizations including FMO to organize and participate in the rally,” the faculty members wrote in the letter to campus media.

According to the letter, some of the faculty attended the rally, which began at the Black House, stopped at the Technological Institute and ended in the interruption of the groundbreaking ceremony for a new athletic facility, where University President Morton Schapiro spoke. Students organized the event to demonstrate solidarity with student protesters from the University of Missouri.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, student protesters listed their demands, which include the cancellation of planned restructuring at the Black House, the creation of a U.S.-centric diversity requirement for all majors at the University, construction of a building for Campus Inclusion and Community and the creation of a resource center and technology hub for black students.

On Monday, administrators announced during the third Black House listening session that the proposed changes to the Black House have been cancelled.

“We appreciate those students who are voicing their experiences with racism, alienation, and despair and we validate their concerns,” the authors of the letter said.

The faculty members said they support the demands of the NU students who participated in the protests and offered to collaborate and participate in meeting the demands.

“Students on campus are putting theory to action and we back their call for equal treatment, changing the culture of Northwestern to reflect justice alongside increasingly diversified demographics, and an end to systemic and everyday racism of which these students bear the brunt,” they wrote. “We stand with our students who are speaking truth to power.”

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