Our turn to be counted
Now is the time to stand, united, for the principles of democracy and universal human rights that our predecessors fought so hard to create and preserve.
Among its many assaults on democratic structures and on the law, one of the most terrifying tactics of this administration is its dehumanization of people who immigrated to the U.S.
People who are here with or without documentation are rounded up, arrested on the street, taken to be incarcerated without due process, and, in too many instances, sent to other countries before they can even be in contact with legal representation.
If, as is already the case, people are included in these detentions in error, this administration claims it can do nothing to remedy that situation. And is willing to defy federal courts, and the Supreme Court, on this point.
The rationalization is always that the “dangers” outweigh the elimination of human and civil rights.
As we well know from history, this manufacturing of a “dangerous enemy” is a necessary step on the road to totalitarianism. Could there be a more chilling echo of the 1930’s?
At our university, work is underway to strip the words “diversity” and “equity” from our mission and vision, and consideration is being given to renaming or closing formal offices and committees dedicated to the premise that everyone is deserving of a college education. Our leadership is trying to insist that we are still committed to our core values, that these changes are required to protect our students’ access to federal funding for their educations, and do not mean we are abandoning our principles.
But as we well know from history, the reversal of the meaning of words at the demand of (and threats by) a powerful “leader” is another necessary step on the road to totalitarianism. The early stages of authoritarianism are its most vulnerable. Fear is its most powerful weapon, but at this stage, it often does not (yet) have the ability to overwhelm nonviolent resistance.
If we do not stand here and now for the human rights of one and all, for the true meaning of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for the resistance of these totalitarian tactics, we are likely to lose the ability to stand later.
The voices of our faculty, staff, and students are only beginning to respond to the federal attacks on academic freedom. Our community has turned out, and will again, for human and civil rights for everyone. I do not know which way this will go, but I know where I stand.
We can only do this together, and we cannot back down or give up. Now is the time to stand, united, for the principles of democracy and universal human rights that our predecessors fought so hard to create and preserve. It is our turn to be counted.
Be safe and well, and be there for one another.
