UB Libraries presents The Black Lives Matter Poster Project, launched by Campus Living and Intercultural and Diversity Center, in February 2021 in the Silverman Library.

Our Commitment

At the University at Buffalo, we have amplified our call to combat injustice, oppression and racism in response to the societal strife that has been reverberating across the country. We approach our work from many different angles, at many different levels – from university-wide initiatives to decanal- and discipline-specific programming. Undergirding all of our efforts is the shared understanding that we can, and we must, effect change through education, research and engagement with the communities we serve.

The work described here does not represent an exhaustive list of our efforts toward social justice. Nonetheless, it demonstrates many of the ongoing initiatives and resources that have grown out of our enduring committment to creating a more equitable and inclusive society for our UB community and our world. 

Standing with Our UB Community

  • Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action in Admissions
    6/29/23
    We recognize that UB thrives because of our diversity. It is this diversity—of perspective, backgrounds, cultures and lived experiences—that contributes to UB’s dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment. It enriches our research, our scholarly pursuits, our academic discourse—indeed, all that we endeavor to accomplish.
  • In Solidarity with UB's Iranian Students and Faculty
    10/17/22
    As we learn about the increasing civil unrest and violent crackdowns against protestors in Iran, I would like to express our university’s solidarity with UB’s Iranian students and faculty as well as our concern for the safety and liberty of their loved ones in their home country.
  • Update from the President's Advisory Council on Race
    6/1/22
    Today, we are pleased to share the Implementation Committee’s final report—a pathway to supporting and amplifying equity in our research, teaching, education and engagement with the broader region.
  • Statement on Mass Shooting in Buffalo
    5/14/22
    Our hearts are with the 10 people who lost their lives today, along with their grieving families, all those who were injured, and all those who were traumatized by the mass shooting that occurred this afternoon in a Tops Supermarket in the City of Buffalo.
  • Indigenous Peoples Day
    10/8/21
    In honor of the Indigenous peoples who were the first inhabitants of North America, the University at Buffalo will observe Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday in October.
  • Derek Chauvin Trial Verdict
    4/20/21
    This landmark trial has been viewed as a referendum on police accountability and brutality against Black and Brown Americans—and, as such, it has been closely followed by millions of people demanding the abiding structural change that is long overdue in our country.
  • Derek Chauvin Trial
    4/16/21
    Against the backdrop of a fervent racial justice reckoning, demonstrations over police brutality against Black and Brown Americans, a pandemic that has magnified social injustice, and oppression that has persisted from our country’s founding, I understand that some of you may be feeling as traumatized in the retelling of this terrible episode as when you first learned of it.
  • 53 Years Later: Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.'s UB Speech
    1/18/21
    As the fractures of the past several years extend into 2021, Dr. King’s exhortations of 53 years ago remind us of our imperative today—and every day: to commemorate his legacy by contributing to the ideals of justice and equality.
  • President's Advisory Council on Race Community Dialogue
    9/28/21
    The President's Advisory Council on Race held a Community Dialogue on Monday, March 22, 2021. View the full video here.
  • Condemning Anti-Asian Violence
    3/18/21
    As a global community of scholars grounded in ideals of social justice, we condemn, in the strongest of terms, anti-Asian harassment, hatred and violence—just as we condemn the ignorance, prejudice and bigotry at their root.
  • Recommendations from the President's Advisory Council on Race
    12/10/20
    Over the past six months, the advisory council—comprised of faculty, students, staff and alumni—has identified, researched and reviewed best practices in four focus areas: the recruitment, hiring and retention of faculty and staff; the recruitment, admissions, retention and graduation of students; curriculum and teaching; and community engagement.
See More Statements 
“We are a community that is stronger by virtue of our diverse viewpoints, backgrounds and identities. Although not all of us carry the trauma of systemic racism, it is my greatest wish that we stand together in the effort to overcome it.”
5/26/21

Satish K. Tripathi

President