Statements of Solidarity

The History Department has publicly stated its position on the following:

We, faculty in the Department of History, acknowledge the right of Duke graduate students to form an employer-recognized union. We will not penalize graduate students in any way for engaging in unionizing efforts nor will we endorse any disciplinary measures directed at graduate students who have participated in such efforts or against those who have not. We strongly believe in free discussion, and we urge both student and university leaders to engage in a constructive dialogue.

April 6, 2023

In the wake of the murderous attack on Asian American women in Atlanta, Ga., and incidents of hate that include physical assault, civil rights violations, and harassment of several thousand Asian Americans and Asians in the United States, the Duke History community condemns the scapegoating and ethnic-based and racial hatred that has proliferated in this country over the last year.

As historians, we have studied the emergence and reproduction of racist ideas in this country and across the globe. We know the long-enduring impact of bigotry and racism that have targeted Asians and Asian American people since the mid-nineteenth century, unleashing hurt and harm.

We especially condemn the hypersexualization of Asian and Asian American women that is rooted in white supremacy, Orientalism and imperialism. The 1875 Page Act, for example, aimed to stem the immigration “of any subject of China, Japan, or any Oriental country, to the United States,” and fueled stereotypes against Asian women configured in the act as women who came for “ lewd and immoral purposes.” This was followed by a series of other measures such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Act of 1917 and Immigration (Johnson-Reed) Act of 1924, and the internment of Japanese-origin American citizens during World War II. 

We include in our indictment recent leaders who have stoked the fires of racial and ethnic hatred. Anti-Asian exclusionary racism has many of its roots (link opens in a new window/tab) (link opens in a new window/tab) (link opens in a new window/tab) in the refusal of a white political order to accept full citizenship and just economic conditions for Black citizens. Therefore, with our fellow citizens, we both pledge to fight against anti-Asian racism and reaffirm our commitment to fight against anti-Black racism and for racial justice for all. We acknowledge the existence of systemic racism as well as overt racial hatred, and pledge to battle it in all forms, be they global or local. We must continue this work by confronting the endemic racism and misogyny that have manifested most recently in attacks on the Asian and Asian American population in the United States.

As teachers and learners, we commit to educating ourselves and others through forums and other programming dedicated to uncovering and analyzing the extensive history of disdain and systemic racial and gender hatred and discrimination. 

March 24, 2021

The Department of History stands in solidarity with all Black members of our community at Duke and in Durham in this searing moment of crisis when systemic racism and structural inequalities have once again come to the fore. We stand with all those who are exercising their constitutional right to assemble and are speaking out in our nation’s tradition of public protest and nonviolent civil disobedience. And we express our gratitude to peoples across the globe who are making common cause with the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice, inequality, and institutionalized violence. As teachers, scholars, and mentors, we remain committed to drawing upon our historical knowledge to collectively create and foster a more inclusive, just, and equitable society for all. 

June 8, 2020