Levine Scholars Program

The staff and scholars of the Levine Scholars Program express our profound sadness and anger at the recent instances of police brutality which have brought the issue of systemic racism to the forefront of our collective conscience. While the Levine Scholars Program has always had a stated commitment to fostering inclusivity, we recognize that we have not always taken all the steps possible to increase racial justice in the spaces we occupy. As such, we are committing ourselves to weaving the work of radical anti-racism into the fabric of our program, which is to say that we commit to evidence-based solutions that interrogate the root of the problem while recognizing that this work will never be finished. Our explicit goal moving forward is to uplift our Black community members and other community members of color because complacency and silence only serve to reinforce institutionalized racism.

While this statement has been largely student-crafted, both the staff and scholars within the Levine Scholars Program are in conversation about what actions we will be taking to ensure greater education and awareness within the program and increased racial justice in the spaces we occupy at programmatic, university, and larger community levels now and in the future. We will announce our plan of action at the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester. We welcome critiques or suggestions from the broader community while also taking steps to enthusiastically participate in our own self-education to ultimately center Black voices.

Please use this form to express your opinion of the program’s statement and plan of action. We welcome any feedback or critique and look forward to reading your submission.