The Motherboard of the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present is outraged by the recent killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers, and of Ahmaud Arbery by a former member of a police department. These tragic incidents and their pervasive rate of occurrence are striking and painful manifestations of the longstanding history of violence that state institutions exert on Black and Brown people. In solidarity, we mourn their deaths and express our condolences to their families and loved ones. In addition, we denounce the escalation of police violence aimed at the protestors seeking justice for George Floyd’s murder and the deliberate attacks on journalists documenting their brutality. The further targeting of African Americans and allies by police and other militarized bodies during a pandemic is distressing and unacceptable. As an organization dedicated to articulating the aesthetic, cultural, ethical, and political identities of the contemporary moment, ASAP brings together scholars, artists, and teachers whose work frequently engages systemic violence, structural inequalities, and institutional racism. As such, we stand in solidarity with the families and loved ones of those killed and with the activists and protestors who seek justice. We ally ourselves with communities of color and all those who fight today and every day against police and societal violence. In representation of our membership, we will continue to commit the resources of ASAP to the work of denouncing systemic racism and white supremacist violence and to the project of imagining a state that uses its power to meet its population’s needs and to address its desires rather than engage them in battle. We also remain steadfast in our advocacy for justice and institutional representation of African American communities in the arts, academia, and society at large. Black Lives Matter.
