The Department of French & Italian condemns racial injustice and police brutality in all forms, and stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and antiracist protest movements throughout the world. Racist policing and white supremacy are international problems with a long history, and are inextricably bound up with the legacy of European settler colonialism (including French and Italian colonialism specifically) and the slave trade. The impact of this legacy is easily discerned in two of the most jarring news stories out of France and Italy in recent years: the brutal murder by asphyxiation of the Malian-French man Adama Traoré by police in 2016; and in 2018 a drive-by shooting in Macerata, Italy, targeting African immigrants. If you wish to educate yourself about the history of racism in France and Italy and the diverse French and Italian racial justice movements, see here.
On behalf of the department faculty,
Julia Simon