Recent and Future Alumni for an Anti-Racist Purdue

On December 3, 2020, a collection of 245 recent Purdue alumni and current students sent a letter to Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and other Purdue leaders urging the university to adopt anti-racist stances and policies in support of Black Boilermakers.

The authors and reviewers of the letter include Black and non-Black recent alumni and current students, as well as allies among Purdue faculty and staff. The letter relies on and highlights existing anti-racism policy proposals published by Purdue student groups including Black at Purdue, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Justice Alliance for Momentum (JAM).

The signers say: “We acknowledge that the privileges of a Purdue education are not afforded equally to all. We recognize that Black students encounter barriers of individual and systemic racism that add undue burdens to their experiences at Purdue and ability to access Purdue’s opportunities. Moreover, when given the opportunity to rectify these wrongs, the Purdue administration has not meaningfully engaged the Purdue population in discussions of race and has failed to act on grassroots calls for institutional action.”

The letter contains recommendations and policy proposals for President Mitch Daniels and Purdue administration, the Board of Trustees and Equity Task Force, and the Purdue Alumni Association and Purdue for Life Foundation. The alumni coalition released their letter to coincide with the Dec. 3 meeting of the Purdue Board of Trustees, at which the Equity Task Force was projected to provide Board updates and receive Board approval on plans to address anti-Black racism at Purdue.

The 245 signatories of the letter include:

• Four Purdue Student Body Presidents and Vice Presidents
• Marshall, Truman, Boren, Udall, Goldwater, Schwarzman, Churchill, and Astronaut Scholars
• 19 Fulbright Scholars, 22 Beering Scholars, and eight Stamps Scholars
• 14 members of Iron Key and 28 members of the Barbara Cook Chapter of Mortar Board
• Eight members of Purdue Foundation Student Board, 10 Old Masters’ coordinators, two NCAA Division I athletes, and a member of the U.S. military

Regarding their status as future donors, the authors and signatories say: “During this season of giving, we, as an organized collective of future donors, urge you to consider the strategic implications of your individual and institutional commitments to building an anti-racist Purdue. For our part, we pledge to invest our resources as alumni into the components of Purdue that are taking an active stance to promote anti-racism.”