Statement of Solidarity

The UofL Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences stands in solidarity with the Black community. We are committed to social justice and we support people around the world who have taken a stand to say that Black Lives Matter. As geographers and environmental scientists, we believe that inequality, injustice, and systemic racism must be addressed at all scales, from the individual to the global. These connections define our discipline. Racist structures shape the spaces of our daily lives and we recognize that not all of us experience our spaces in the same way. We recommit ourselves in our teaching and our research to increase equity and inclusion and to confront the historical legacy of white supremacy in our own academic disciplines, recognizing in particular the role that Geography has played in advancing colonial power and global white supremacy. Racism in all its forms must be named and opposed in a sustained effort to enrich our campus and our communities. 

Geography is instrumental for helping us to understand the connections between race and space. In particular, scholars working in the field of Black Geographies work to create research and writing emphasizing the spatial dimensions of race, encouraging critical reflection on Black experiences, and supporting the work of Black scholars. People working within Black Geographies have contributed some fantastic resources (shared below) to help people educate themselves about the connections between Black life, space, and society.  

Planned action within our department:  

  • Faculty and graduate students will participate in a workshop on anti-racist pedagogies 

  • We will host a lecture series focused on highlighting diversity 

  • We will improve our strategies to recruit and retain Black students and others from underrepresented backgrounds 

  • We will increase our inclusion of course materials relevant to racial inequality 

  • We will increase our emphasis on Louisville as an urban laboratory through which students can understand racial inequality at the local scale 

Black Geographies Resources 

 

Maps and other Spatial Resources:  

 

Other Ways to Learn More: