On Friday, Northwestern’s anthropology department, and Asian American Studies and Latina and Latino Studies programs released statements condemning President Morton Schapiro’s controversial Monday email. They each wrote that they stood in solidarity with the African American Studies Department, which released their letter in response to Schapiro’s email on Tuesday. 

In their statement, anthropology faculty wrote that they supported their colleagues in the African American Studies Department as well as those “protesting racist policing at Northwestern and across the United States.” They further reaffirmed a commitment to racial justice in higher education and society, including at Northwestern.

“We call on President Schapiro and university leadership to address the concerns and urgent recommendations of the Department of African American Studies, as outlined in their letters of Oct. 15 and Oct. 20, by taking swift, decisive action to address anti-Black racism and racial-colonial violence in all its forms at Northwestern University,” the letter read.

LLSP faculty wrote that they also supported student activism as part of academic freedom, as it has been a “critical component” of their program. They said they rejected institutional efforts, especially on the part of senior officials, to criminalize dissent. 

They also wrote that Schapiro’s messages widened divisions within the Northwestern community and demanded the president meet with students to directly engage with their concerns. 

Despite what Schapiro has experienced in the past week, they wrote that “Black, Indigenous and other people of color and immigrants experience hardships, inequities, and multiple forms of violence daily, at Northwestern and beyond. It is imperative that these experiences be center in our work for racial justice.

AASP faculty expressed unanimous support for the African American Studies Department letters and stood by student protesters, emphasizing divestment from police and a strengthened relationship with Evanston residents as next steps.

“As a program founded through student protest and committed to anti-racism and social justice, we condemn an administration that publicly proclaims its commitment to combating an anti-Black racism while publishing anti-Black proclamations,” AASP faculty wrote.

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