Blue Devils United fully supports the nine student occupiers in the Allen building today. We admire their courage as they attempt to serve as a catalyst for justice and confront racism within the university's employment system. We join in the call for amnesty from all punishment for all student occupiers.
Furthermore, we call upon our administration to reflect on their recent actions. We question the integrity of an institution which prides itself on using “knowledge in the service of society,” but then uses threats of arrests, suspension and expulsion against students who follow through with this movement.
Blue Devils United recognizes that issues of justice, both within the LGBTQ community and the broader world, have historically only been resolved due to protests. We call upon Duke University administration to work with its students instead of against them so that students, now and in the future, are able to exercise their right to protest and demand justice on campus. As these students commit themselves to struggling for justice, we condemn an environment that silences them.
Blue Devils United believes that human dignity must be fought for, and in doing so we call upon students not directly involved to productively engage with the action. We call upon all students to answer the call of civic duty and to support amnesty. Students at Duke University must stand firm and assert that the values behind using knowledge in the service of society are not up for negotiation.
Be United.
The Blue Devils United Executive Board
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