In addition to the message from Penn President Amy Gutmann, there have been many other statements made by Penn entities. Following are a few of them:

A Message from Public Safety

On May 25th the world witnessed the horrible and cruel death of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis Police Officers. I say four officers, because three officers stood by and watched their colleague take Mr. Floyd’s life over a very painful eight minutes, forty-six seconds, while Mr. Floyd begged for his life and called upon his deceased mother to help him. Every time I watch that video I feel both rage at the actions of these ex-police officers and a deep sadness that this man died such a public, painful and illegal death. This incident triggered a call to action across America.

The delay in charging ex-police officer Derek Chauvin with murder escalated the intensity we are witnessing across the country. The State’s delay in charging the other three officers with related offense until today [June 3, 2020] also contributed to the pain and anger felt across the nation.

We will continue to support those exercising their First Amendment protected right to protest the injustice they see and feel. We have assisted in providing safe passage for these civically engaged individuals and will continue to do so.

Actions of bad actors in police departments disgrace ALL police officers and police departments across our country. This is why we in the UPPD ensure that our hiring, retention, discipline and ultimately dismissal processes are fair and swift.

Our officers attend many trainings to better understand, relate to, communicate with and support our community. For many years we have sent Police Officers and PennComm personnel to the Washington, DC Holocaust Museum to an education program for Law Enforcement officers developed and delivered by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This training is important because it teaches us how dangerous it is for people in authority, who have power over other people, to misuse that power. This training must be internalized and practiced every day by every police officer in our agency. Police Officers have the ultimate power over people’s lives, and when not used appropriately and lawfully, it can result in the death of a human being.

We have two mottos for our agency. “It’s all About Relationships” and “Make Emotional Deposits in the Bank”. We often talk about why it’s important to make emotional deposits in the bank—because someday, somewhere across the country, one or more police officers will do something so outrageous that it puts a blemish on our department, our badge. I am proud of the way everyone in DPS makes Emotional Deposits every day. Because of them, we are a highly respected and loved Police Department and Division of Public Safety.

We urge everyone to keep your hearts open, as we pledge to as well. Keep the faith during this very difficult time.

—Maureen S. Rush, Vice President of Public Safety, Superintendent of Penn Police, Division of Public Safety, University of Pennsylvania

A Message from Penn Program on Regulation

Civil rights organizations in the United States have declared today [June 4, 2020] a day of national mourning over the brutal killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer 10 days ago. Mr. Floyd’s horrific death shakes the entire nation and reveals—yet again—a deep, historic and systemic racism that, unfortunately, continues to pervade US society.

Each senseless taking of a black man or woman’s life—and George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice are only a few of the many victims—represents not merely an individual tragedy but an urgent call for investigation into institutional failures in larger systems, especially those comprising rules and rule enforcers.

Scholars and practitioners of regulation have much more to learn about how systems of rules can both reinforce and resist institutionalized racism. Now is the time to listen and learn from black experiences to understand better how to improve the management of regulatory and law enforcement organizations to break historic patterns of oppression.

Black Lives Matter. In light of how black Americans are adversely impacted by governmental action, improving regulatory systems and the behavior of regulatory personnel remains an essential avenue for delivering on the promise of equal justice for black Americans, as well as for Indigenous and other minority communities who face oppression and discrimination in this country and around the world.

Projects already underway at the Penn Program on Regulation include the first book-length study systematically to investigate the relationship between regulation and inequality in the United States. The editors of The Regulatory Review are also at work on a forthcoming series on race and regulation. But I also want to hear from you. I invite you to reach out if you have ideas for other projects or initiatives that the program could undertake to help counteract racism by improving regulations and regulatory institutions.

—Cary Coglianese, Edward B. Shils Professor of Law Director, Penn Program on Regulation

A Message from the Spiritual & Religious Life Center at Penn

All of us at SPARC are grieving this week [May 29], grieving with all of you who are hurting as we witness yet more of the impact and pain caused by individual and institutional racism in our country.

We know that it's especially hard to be grieving in this way in a time when we are all apart.

We lament with all of you who are angry, exhausted and overwhelmed.

We are in solidarity together with you for change and justice and we are here to support you as always.

If you need space to talk our Chaplains are here for you and our prayers and love are with you.

—The SPARC Team

A Message from the Netter Center

The senseless, brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many other Black Americans, as well as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color, starkly and undeniably reveal the pernicious prevalence of racism in all its forms—from racist attitudes and behaviors to institutional and structural racism embedded in 400 years of American history.  Working with our community partners, the Netter Center is committed to contributing to the significant reduction and eventual eradication of racial injustice and inequality, helping to build an inclusive, equitable, “beloved community” (as called for by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) in West Philadelphia, Philadelphia and beyond.  At this deeply troubling time, we pursue this commitment with relentless dedication and unshakeable resolve.

—Ira Harkavy, Founding Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and its Staff and Community Advisory Board

A Message from Penn Athletics

Community matters.

It is not just a core value for Penn Athletics. It is the most important one.

We acknowledge the pain and suffering our division, our University, our city, and our nation are feeling. Recent events highlight the systemic oppression faced by Black Americans. It is unacceptable and it will only end if we all demand change together.

We are firmly committed to do more.

To listen. To speak up. To educate. To empathize.

We will be better because we have to be better.

Community matters. We stand with you.

—University of Pennsylvania Athletics

A Message from the Annenberg Center

As a center for the arts, we reaffirm our continued commitment to presenting artists of color on our stages, supporting artistic work that addresses the important issues of our time, and we join President Gutmann in pledging to work toward creating an environment that is inclusive and free from discrimination, for our patrons and supporters of diverse cultural backgrounds, our staff, board and all persons of color across the Penn campus.

While we grapple daily with anger, pain and sorrow, I hope it gives you solace to remember that the performing arts are a powerful influence in helping us work through the large issues that may be hard to process individually. The performing arts regularly bring us together in all of our diversities, in a shared experience of fellowship. During such troubled times, they play a greater role in our lives. Even experienced in the digital realm, the arts help us make sense of tragedy and challenge, bringing us meaning, comfort and spiritual affirmation, all of which are essential in our lives right now.

The arts also comment on and help bring about social change, and artists themselves are reacting to this exceptionally difficult time with a great outpouring of creativity. I encourage you to read an excellent article, “Jazz as a Medium for Social and Political Change,” (https://newyorkjazzworkshop.com/jazz-as-a-medium-for-social-and-political-change/) which traces the history of jazz as a catalyst for change.

And I recommend to you two profoundly moving performances by artists of color specifically in response to current events. Please take a moment to view Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s WE. DANCE. video (https://tinyurl.com/AlvinAileyWeDance) and listen to this performance of “America the Beautiful” by Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic (https://tinyurl.com/AnthonyMcGillATB). With best wishes for your continued health and safety,

—Christopher Gruits, Executive & Artistic Director, Annenberg Center

A Message from the ICA

As the Interim Director of ICA, I have been in constant internal dialogue with our staff and leadership over the last two days as we have prepared this statement. That dialog has taken significant time but it was critical to me to have those conversations. We are actively discussing our action steps for moving forward and we will be sharing those in the coming days.

The devastating events of the past week have been a reminder to all of us that ICA as an institution has an obligation to acknowledge the traumatic experiences of black communities. We unequivocally condemn racist actions and violence. We honor the lives of\ George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and other victims, their families, and the countless lives of far too many others before them.

Moments like this make us painfully aware of both the limits of our reach and the greatness of the needs in our communities. These needs include justice and support. Despite our limits, ICA can advocate for access to opportunity and for the lack of fear that should be everyone’s right and has been due black people for too long.

As an art institution, ICA is committed to justice and equality. We are proud to showcase and support the work of black artists and makers and we have benefited immeasurably from black cultural production.

ICA is also committed to making art and culture free and accessible to all. Our efforts must align with equality and justice for the many communities of which we are a part, not only to artists, but to the many publics with whom we are in solidarity against anti-black racism and discrimination. We pledge to use the platforms we have available to us to listen and we welcome your suggestions on how to build a better, more equitable institution and a more just society.

—John McInerney, Interim Daniel Dietrich, ll Director Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania

A Message from the Penn Museum

The recent killing of George Floyd and previous deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many other Black individuals are beyond tragic: they are deeply unjust. We cannot remain silent about discrimination and systemic violence against Black communities.

We recognize that this museum was built on colonialism and racist narratives. We are working to change these narratives and the institutional biases that accompany them. Racism has no place in our Museum. We must do more. This is one of our highest priorities.

We can and will do better to fight against systems of oppression and for racial equality, to celebrate and amplify Black voices, and to be responsive to the needs of the community we serve.

We commit to listening; to providing a forum for difficult and important conversations; to nurturing and learning alongside this and the next generations in our shared humanity.

To our Black staff, students, members, visitors, and Philadelphia neighbors: we stand with you, we are listening, and we are working to be the Penn Museum our community needs. Black Lives Matter.

—Penn Museum