The Department of Philosophy at Ohio State affirms its support of the local and global protests against police brutality, systemic racism, and the killing of Black Americans.  We condemn the aggressive and militarized response to the overwhelmingly peaceful protests.  

This desperately unjust situation is all the more urgent because of the disproportionate effects of the current pandemic on Black communities.

In this context, we reaffirm our commitment to being a welcoming space for all, to diversifying our curriculum and our discipline, and to addressing racial oppression.  With the University's support and resources, we are committed to diversifying our faculty by hiring persons of color.  We pledge to promote social justice, in addition to reflecting on it.  We pledge also to listen to and learn from what the Black Lives Matter movement is teaching, and to act on that basis.  

We endorse the recent statements from the American Philosophical Association condemning racist violence and police brutality. We urge the university, city, and country to address these deep injustices with far-reaching reforms.