Statement from the Faculty and Staff of the Economics Department on Recent Killings and Racial Injustice

Statement from the Faculty and Staff of the Economics Department on Recent Killings and Racial Injustice

Like so many others, we have been horrified by the killing of George Floyd and other brutal acts of violence against Black people, particularly police violence. These events are visceral testimony to the pernicious legacy of slavery and ongoing racism in America.

It is imperative that we do more than mourn these tragedies. They are a cry for action. We must do all we can—in our capacities as members of the Economics Department, members of the economics profession, members of the Berkeley community, and individuals—to confront the underlying causes of such horrifying episodes. We need to address the forces that lead to the shockingly disproportionate killing of African Americans by the police, the appallingly low representation of underrepresented minorities in our student body and faculty, their low representation in our profession, and their disproportionate burden from the global pandemic and the associated economic hardship.

Berkeley, the American Economic Association, and the National Economic Association have put out powerful statements about recent events. We encourage you to read them. More importantly, we urge all members of our community to engage with these issues, and to work with us—and to push us — to tackle these profound problems.

-The Faculty and Staff of the Berkeley Economics Department