The Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy expresses our solidarity with the Black community and unequivocally believes that Black Lives Matter. We are outraged by the stories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery—among countless others —and join the demands for justice in response to rampant, unpunished police violence and other forms of anti-blackness.
As a publication in the law and public policy sphere, we recognize how legal and policy systems have perpetuated injustice against the Black community. At the same time, we also want to recognize our individual and collective responsibilities to help reform these systems. We implore everyone to stay engaged in whatever capacity available. And for the non-Black members of our community, we must all critically reflect on how we each relate to racism in our daily lives. This is our obligation now, tomorrow, and every day after.
We would also like to take this time to reflect upon our own actions as an organization. In the past, our staff has worked on a variety of issues in relation to racial justice, such as school segregation, the constitutionality of hate speech regulations, and police violence. But we also want to recognize the ways in which we have fallen short of building a diverse community that deliberately centers anti-racism. Moving forward, we will prioritize diversity when performing outreach, highlight the work of Black scholars, and emphasize issues of racial justice as topics for our staff to explore. Our goal will be to institutionalize anti-racism into our organization, and we welcome any feedback that may help us along.
Check out where you can donate, sign petitions, and otherwise support the movement here and here.
For those who are not from the Black community, consider these resources to learn more about allyship.
And finally, make use of mental health resources from your college, and support the work and well-being of your Black peers.
