Statement from President Kennedy on the tragic death of George Floyd

The tragic, senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman, along with other recent acts of racism and violence, remind us of a bitter reality we see not just in Minnesota, in Georgia, in Kentucky, here in Colorado, and in too many other places — the reality that issues of racism, inequality and violence are too frequent, too terrible and too debilitating to our communities and our country.

We condemn racism and violence in the strongest terms. They are antithetical to the values of our university and society. We must continue and indeed, hasten, critical conversations at our university and in our country about race and equality. 

Many University of Colorado students, faculty and staff have raised their voices this weekend, as they have raised them many times before, to protest racism, inequality and violence. I applaud and support their passionate but peaceful engagement. We have seen too many others in Denver and around the country whose protest is cloaked in violence and vandalism. We cannot lift up our communities by tearing them down, so we also condemn those senseless acts. 

The University of Colorado’s values and guiding principles place diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront of how we meet our mission to our students, state and society. We must do all we can to ensure those values are furthered not just at our university, but in our society.