Important Dates
Statement Black Lives Matter
18.06.2020
Universität Bayreuth
While people all around the world mourn the deaths of the victims of police brutality and protest racist structural violence in the U.S.A, many people outside the United States also experience racism on a daily basis. Our network dedicates its work to address discrimination and social inequality.
We express our solidarity to the BlackLivesMatter movement and stand with those who demonstrate against racist violence. Systemic racism violates civil and human rights in Germany and all around the world, while privileging whiteness and, thus, reinforcing white supremacy.
Being aware of the urgency of fighting racism, we protest against racism and the silencing thereof in German society. We need to talk about racism in all of its facets: Germany's colonial past and the respective legacy, racist tendencies in the police, terrorist attacks and other instances of physical and verbal violence, antimigration policies in the context of Europe's border regimes, (mis)representation in education and media as well as societal structures and institutions.
To combat racism, we also need to address racism in universities and consider how to respond to systemic discrimination and violence, which are brought to attention by BLM. What can teaching and research do? What might be practices which ought to be included in these realms (e.g. mentoring, counselling, representation of discriminated-against groups, foundational courses in critical theory/intersectionality, critical race studies, classism, sexism, while offering spaces for people of color)?
Resistance and change is needed and we work to make it happen.
In order to do so, we would like to establish a web page with resources on that topic. Additionally, there will be events announced that allow for exchange and discussion.
We invite everyone who wants to contribute to this discussion to send us an email. You might have a book suggestion, you might want to share a personal experience or have an idea of other resources for educational and activist purposes. We would like to create a space that allows for everyone who is interested to participate, a space that could outlast but should not replace protests happening in various cities at the moment.
Links:
https://pgf2019.wordpress.com/in-solidarity-with-blacklivesmatter-an-open-letter/',
https://taz.de/Rechter-Terror-in-Niedersachsen/!5692270/',
https://elearning.uni-bayreuth.de/mod/url/view.php?id=763580
https://childism.camden.rutgers.edu/2020/06/22/supporting-the-black-lives-matter-movement/