Antiracism Statement

OWU Alumni Association Board of Directors on behalf of the Alumni Association

“Daily the Negro is coming more and more to look upon law and justice, not as protecting safeguards, but as sources of humiliation and oppression. The laws are made by men who have little interest in him; they are executed by men who have absolutely no motive for treating the black people with courtesy or consideration; and, finally, the accused law-breaker is tried, not by his peers, but too often by men who would rather punish ten innocent Negroes than let one guilty one escape.” – W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, 1903.

At the turn of the 20th century, one of our country’s leading intellectuals, civil rights activist and scholar, W.E.B. DuBois, gave voice to a reality well known to the citizens of this nation. Tragically, more than 100 years since its publication, this passage from The Souls of Black Folk rings true today.

The Ohio Wesleyan University Alumni Association, and the entire Ohio Wesleyan community—staff, faculty, and students—mourn with the country the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black men, women and children who have died at the hands of law enforcement officers, vigilantes, and hate groups. We join with those who call for an end to these injustices now.

Ohio Wesleyan’s roots are steeped in the Methodist Church—known early on for its stance against slavery and supporting human equality, but whose own history is mixed at best. To that end, and in accordance with the university’s ultimate purpose of “equipping students with knowledge, competence, and character for leadership, service and continued learning in a complex and increasingly global society,” we will work to develop strategies and protocol to ensure that Black students, staff, and faculty find on our campus acceptance, equality, and justice in all aspects of their Ohio Wesleyan experience.

We are at a crucial moment in our country’s history—one which Ohio Wesleyan will use to further tenets of human rights and dignity on our campus, in our state and nation, and abroad.

In solidarity,

Ohio Wesleyan University Alumni Association Board of Directors
June 15, 2020