Chancellor’s Statement on White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis

The following statement was sent to the campus community on Aug. 15:

As the summer winds down and we prepare for the coming academic year, our nation is grappling with the emergence of a pernicious form of hatred and intolerance. The horrific events that unfolded over the weekend at the University of Virginia and the surrounding community of Charlottesville make it abundantly clear that we are living in a time when bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism and hatred have found their way into our mainstream social discourse. White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups that were once relegated to the shadows now feel emboldened to spew their venomous, violent ideology out in the open and have proclaimed their intent to preach their vile message in communities across the country. We condemn the actions of these white supremacists and neo-Nazis and we reject the false equivalence that suggests there are “many sides” to this sort of hate.

With the fall semester soon approaching, I want to reaffirm UMass Amherst’s commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming living-learning environment for every member of our campus community. We will undoubtedly face our own challenges in the coming academic year but I am confident that no matter what we are confronted with we will remain true to our values of social justice, equity, and inclusion. I call on every member of our community to reject hatred in all its forms and to stand united in defense of tolerance, diversity and inclusion.

Hate has no home at UMass.

– Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy