3 June 2020
INKLINGS ARTS & LETTERS OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT PROTESTS SURROUNDING THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD AND OTHER BLACK AMERICANS AT THE HANDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
Dear Miami Community,
Inklings stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protestors and condemns the repeated and ongoing acts of state sponsored brutality against Black Americans. We mourn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Tony McDade, and every racially motivated act of cruelty from law enforcement. While witnessing these continuous cruelties, we have been met with empty, insufficient responses from larger administrative bodies, performative activism, and a lack of empathetic leadership at every level. It has never been more apparent that engaging in anti-racism actions is a necessary collective and individual responsibility. This responsibility extends into our roles as student organization leaders functioning within a higher education system that preserves white privilege and power.
As a literary arts publication, Inklings recognizes that white creatives have historically silenced, stolen from, and undervalued Black creatives. Over the next several days, our staff has committed to examining our own bookshelves and art collections, and to questioning whether they reflect the Black voices, stories, and ideas that are unjustly obscured. We invite our larger community to participate in this process with us. To value, connect with, and amplify Black voices; to purchase work by Black creators from Black business owners.
In the upcoming semesters, Inklings also plans to seek out racial bias training for our editorial staff. Racial identity, privilege, and oppression are present in every piece our editors review. Consciously or not, these concepts are interwoven into every aspect of our human experience. It is our responsibility as an organization to ensure that the conversations around these topics among our staff and community remain equitable and inclusive. We firmly believe that creating an inclusive publication is dependent on continual education, outreach and collaboration, and a sustained effort to check unconscious biases.
It is now (and always has been) the time to be relentlessly anti-racist: to hold conversations about white privilege, to question our own unconscious biases, and to think about the many ways that racism manifests. We cannot remain silent or complacent in a country that constantly disregards the lives and safety of Black people. Instead, all of us must take responsibility for our roles within the systems built on racism and uphold that Black Lives Matter.
Sincerely,
Co-Editors-in-Chief Rhonda Krehbiel and Elizabeth Brueggemann, The Inklings Editorial Staff
Ways to Support the Movement
These links serve as starting points for our own education and action. Listen to Black community leaders, sign petitions, and donate what you can.
Black Lives Matter Resource Hub
An updated list of places to donate to, petitions to sign, information for protesters, and other resources for tangible action in support of the BLM movement.
A comprehensive list of bail fund programs in the U.S. and Canada. Bail fund programs pay the bail/bond used to keep arrested individuals in pretrial detention. The bail/bond system is a tool of socioeconomic oppression utilized to suppress protestors.
Antiracism Media List for All Ages
This is a list of accessible media complied by the Evanston Public Library. There are books, podcasts, and films you can use to expand your media consumption and share with family and friends of all ages. Many of these pieces can be accessed for free online, through your local library, or through Miami resources (such as Kanopy for film).
Consider ordering your reads directly from Black owned small businesses instead of Amazon.