A Note of Thanks To My Wonderful Champions:

My heart bursts with gratitude for your collective support. It is truly humbling to witness such an outpouring of solidarity not only on my behalf, but for the sake of higher principles that affect all of us. That is, my case demonstrates that academic freedom must be defended vigilantly so that we all might do our important work, across all disciplines. We must continue to present our research and teach in a fact-based, sensitive way, such that the diversity we explore leads to broader knowledge, and ultimately, may be used to foster greater unity and compassion, not divisiveness.

We also must fight for the rights of adjunct instructors, whose labor often provides the foundation for colleges and universities, and yet who are unfortunately the most exploited and disposable. Several writers recently have described the “chilling effect” that my case has had upon academics everywhere. I hope that our efforts will cast daylight on these important issues, and I hope that we will continue to approach our scholarship and teaching with warmth and empathy, engage in timely and meaningful conversations, and move forward with a fierce commitment to academic freedom and justice.

With my profound thanks,

Erika López Prater