General Lee, it is said, should be removed from the Duke Chapel. I believe this movement is misguided and should stop.
In light of calls for the removal of the statue of Robert E Lee from Duke Chapel and the vandalism that occurred on the 16th, I’ve compiled a list of alternatives to the “___ of the South” statue series that adorns the chapel entrance.
It's unfortunate that your first public test as president of our University relates to the disposition of a seemingly silent stone artifact that is part of the magnificent cathedral that sits at the heart of our campus. But the statue of Robert E. Lee is not silent.
Charlottesville is a watershed moment for our country. It calls on all Americans, particularly white Americans like myself, to take a long, hard look at the beliefs we hold and the institutions we cherish.
We are currently witnessing a horrifying attempt by this administration to defend the motives and actions of racist and violent neo-Confederates bent on asserting their demands for an ethno-state, and somehow there remains a nationwide divide.
Earlier last month, the Chronicle reported on the high instance of on-campus drinking at Duke. Perhaps it is unsurprising that Duke students have reported such high rates of alcohol and drug use when compared to the national average.
Affirmative Action’s initial inception was to create an avenue for Black women and men into the workforce and academic world—women and men who genuinely and continuously face discrimination on the basis of race even today, and for the current administration to argue that such a program provides an edge “too advantageous” for Black families further reinforces the systemic and institutionalized racism that had trapped those families in the margins decades earlier.
Duke needs to prepare students to confront the legacies of structural racism in this country as they go on to influence the realms of sustainability, business, and policy.
It is still possible to shed human tears after all.
Instead of seeking bipartisan solutions to increase voter participation in our country, President Donald Trump authorized the creation of a commission comprised of known vote suppressors to substantiate his unfounded claims of voter fraud.
Justice is the search for truth, the search for equity with knowledge gained from prosecutors, defendants, society and history, but that search involves the lived experiences of women and men upended by systemic injustices, like fixed bail systems and mandatory minimum sentences, that have sent countless people of color to mass incarceration.
Philando Castile’s death was a painful reminder that our justice system reserves justice for some and not all.
This is perhaps the most childish moment in American political history.
Otto Warmbier, the young University of Virginia student held captive by the North Korean regime for the past 17 months, was pronounced dead a few weeks ago.
Cutting sick people who need it most from their access to medical care is like amputating an arm for a systemic infection.
We are a family with roots over 100 years old.
At the end of the day, your Duke narrative is what you make of it.
“College will be the best four years of your life.”
The notion that paying college revenue-sport athletes would make the games less entertaining or ruin the college experience does not logically make sense.
Teaching in North Carolina is a unique kind of experience.
