We give our full respect and support to the brave protesters and their goals
Since Duke’s integration, marginalized students and employees have fought tirelessly for an end to the oppressive environment Duke perpetuates. An environment that, in a multitude of ways, continues to devalue the lives of people of color while simultaneously profiting from the labor of these same members of Duke’s community. Over time students have found many ways to resist Duke’s oppression, from sit-ins to the historical Allen Building Takeover of 1969, but little progress has been made in having their cries heard and attended to. In the midst of these injustices, students are still expected to flourish in an environment that actively antagonizes, trivializes and fails to protect the value of their existence. They are expected to seek and recruit other minorities into this dismal environment as a means to preserve Duke’s image of equality. An image that Duke prioritizes the maintenance of over the lives of those that work and live on this campus to give that image meaning and truth.