We, the faculty of the History of Art Department at UC Berkeley, condemn the despicable, racist murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many other victims of police brutality and white supremacy. We are outraged at the systemic racism that has afflicted Black and Brown people in this country for centuries. We denounce state violence against peaceful demonstrators. We denounce the use or the threatened use of our military against the people. We join our Black colleagues and students in demanding concrete, institutional remedies for police violence and oppression.

 

We are aware of our specific responsibilities as scholars in the humanities and the social sciences. We practice art history as a critical discipline especially in terms of educating about the historical and political dimensions of the present and the power of images in effecting social injustices. We could do more. We pledge ourselves to interrogate the ways in which we are complicit in perpetuating white supremacy and racism. We resolve to examine our curriculum, pedagogy, admissions policies, hiring priorities, student support models, and place in the university educational mission at-large in order to be the change we want in our country. We believe Black Lives Matter.