Rutgers AAUP-AFT condemns the police murder of George Floyd, grieves with his family and community, and stands in solidarity with their call for justice. As a union of educators and scholars proudly serving the diverse communities of New Jersey, we are acutely aware of the toll that systematic, state-sponsored violence takes on our own membership and the students we serve. We also understand that the current protests sweeping the nation cannot be understood without attending to the overlapping public health and economic crises facing African Americans. Black and Brown death rates are nearly double their representation within the population, combined with disproportionately high unemployment rates. We join our voices with our fellow union sisters and brothers in the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, Minneapolis ATU Local 1005, Unite Here Local 17, SEIU Local 26, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, School Service Employees SEIU, TAA-University of Wisconsin-Madison, UAW Local 2322, GSU at U of Chicago, GEO at UMass, RAFA at CUNY, cross-campus graduate union organizers, and many others.
Read the Call to Action: Justice for George Lloyd and Breonna Taylor from the Rutgers AAUP-AFT POC Caucus