Summary: MLA Statement Deploring Systemic Racism
June 2020
The Executive Council of the Modern Language Association condemns the destruction of Black life in the United States. We deplore the murders of Black people by the police and the systemic racism in police forces, in healthcare, in educational institutions, and throughout society.
- We oppose the ignorance and hatred that animates racism, and we affirm educational projects that expose (and seek to overcome) the scourge of white supremacy.
- We call on educational institutions to support and expand Black and Africana studies, Latinx and ethnic studies, and Native American studies and to teach the literatures born of struggle against racist violence.
- We urge departments of language and literature to engage with the art and criticism that reflect on history and envision another future.
- We call on educational institutions to renew their commitment to actively undo structures that limit access by and hinder the full participation of Black Americans and other nonwhite people at all levels.
- We stand in solidarity with all who are trying to make a world of racial equality and justice.