Message from Dean Williams Following the Events in Charlottesville

Dear Harvard Chan School community,

Over this past weekend, we watched with horror as a hateful white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent and ended in a deadly act of domestic terrorism. Incidents like these remind us that we cannot take for granted the values that define our academic community: respect for others, commitment to open dialogue, and celebration of diversity in all its forms. These principles are at the heart of our School, at the heart of the academic enterprise, and at the heart of the field of public health itself.

It is disheartening to find ourselves once again in a position where it is necessary to reaffirm these most basic principles. Yet we are encouraged, as we prepare to welcome a new generation of public health scholars at orientation next week, by the unwavering commitment and the remarkable strength that are evident in our community. Our work as students, teachers, and activists for public health has never been more important.

Reflecting on these troubling times, I am reminded of a simple but profound insight shared by civil rights activist Fred Hampton not long before his death in 1969. Hampton said, “…Some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don’t fight racism with racism. We’re gonna fight racism with solidarity.” As we prepare for the new School year and an influx of scholars with fresh ideas into our community next week, let us keep this insight in mind and continue to work together—in all our personal, academic, and professional diversity—to make our School, our country, and our world a more welcoming and peaceful place.

Sincerely,

Michelle A. Williams, ScD
Dean of the Faculty
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health