As members of the Suffolk community we are united by many things. We are united by our commitment to our educational mission, and for students your commitment to your educational experience. We are united by our engagement with the cities of Boston and Madrid. We are united in our commitment to access and opportunity. We are united by our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and to civil engagement with one another even when we disagree.

And today more than ever, we must be united in our stance against anti-Semitism, hatred, and violence. We condemn in the strongest of terms the tragic shooting of so many at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh last Saturday. This was a heinous act of anti-Semitism and an abomination to the world. Anti-Semitism is abhorrent. We mourn the victims of this senseless tragedy and our thoughts and prayers remain with their families, and with all members of the Jewish faith.

Beyond this message of condemnation and condolence I hope you will see that this is a message of resolve. Hatred and violence towards any group or individual whether based on religion, culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, the color of one’s skin or the fact that a person’s birth certificate does not match their sex, has no place here at Suffolk. As a community we are not all the same, and we do not always agree. But let us agree that our differences are something to celebrate, and that hate has no place here. Tragedies such as the shooting in Pittsburgh can make us all feel powerless. But at Suffolk we can help combat hate by fostering community and working to be truly inclusive. This University shares powerful values of inclusion, justice, equality, and acceptance. I’m grateful to work each day in a community that puts the highest emphasis on those values, and I look forward to continuing our work together to use them to make this world a better place. Let us resolve again to do that together.

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Marisa J. Kelly
President