A Letter from Dean Greene

Dear MSU Law Community:

In the past month, two American minority communities have suffered physically and psychologically from devastating violence.

It is devastating that shooters may have targeted the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American and Asian communities in California. This violence is not new. And the torture and killing of an unarmed Memphis Black man in custody, Tyre Nichols, reminds us that the lessons about man’s inhumanity to man – graphically demonstrated during the eight minutes that Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck in Minneapolis – have not moved the needle on basic principles of the rule of law. Rule of Law concepts, such as the right to safety in police custody and the right to have a judge decide the outcome of a criminal charge, are absent in these incidents.

We know that such violence traumatizes not only the individuals involved and their families, but also members of minority groups who are often at risk of violence because of their marginalized role in American society. We also know that these repeated incidents of inhumanity are linked to emotional desensitization, which makes way for hatred and intolerance.

It is no answer to the murderous violence visited on Mr. Nichols that the officers who killed him were Black. Devaluation of Black lives remains a reality irrespective of the color of the perpetrators. It is our duty to redouble our response to these occurrences and to understand that our work as educators and activists will not be complete until we deliver the promises of our Constitution to “we the people.”

In April 2022, MSU College of Law faculty adopted a DEI Strategic Plan. And two years earlier, our faculty passed a resolution condemning racism and violence arising from it. Through these actions, we commit to prepare the next generation of law school graduates to lead this unfinished human rights work.

In the coming weeks, we will offer an opportunity for our community members to discuss these incidents and available remedies.

I also want to offer resources to our law community members who may experience trauma or fear as a result of these incidents. Please seek support from the College of Law’s Diversity and Equity Services Office, our Office of Student Affairs, and Human Resources (HR-Operations@law.msu.edu ). Please know that my door and the doors of our faculty and staff are open to you. Do not hesitate to reach out to me and others you trust for support and understanding.

In addition, there are also campus resources available to you:

Leaders have long emphasized the relationship between justice and peace. MSU Law will prepare lawyer-leaders who will work locally, nationally, and globally to secure peace and justice for all.

We are reminded again, as MLK said 1963, that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Let’s unite to clearly define and eliminate injustice.

With both sadness and with hope.

Linda Sheryl Greene

Dean and MSU Law Foundation Professor of Law

Michigan State University College of Law