To Whom It May Greatly Concern,

In light of the recent white supremacist massacre of Blacks at Tops and Buffalo State College’s stated commitment to racial justice, we, the undersigned students, are kindly but urgently requesting you to make the change of making the course called Introduction to Africana Studies a requirement for all undergraduate students. This course introduces the discipline of Africana Studies, which is the major where Black lives are understood comprehensively, in proper context, and from Black people’s own perspectives. While nearly all majors reflect the Eurocentric origins of their histories, this course about Black lives is essentially optional. Further, it is predominantly Black students who take the course even though White students would benefit from the information as much if not more than anyone. We hear rhetoric about Black lives mattering. Yet when it comes to learning about Black lives at Buffalo State College, it is elective. Black students who sign the letter are asking, “Given the history and current times of our country, why is understanding our lives optional at Buffalo State?” White and other non-Black students who have signed the letter are asking, “;How are we supposed to value Black lives if we’re not exposed to them in our education in systematic ways?” We are making this request as an issue of racial justice and human rights. Denying our request based on other terms, such as economic arguments, may make sense to you. However, we will see it, at best, as cowardice and, at worst, as a cunning maneuver to maintain the white supremacist status quo that says—similar to the Tops shooter and those he stands for—Black lives don’t matter outside of lip service at Buffalo State College. As a self-proclaimed urban-centered and community-engaged college with a significant Black student population and alarmingly few Black faculty, Buffalo State must be the place to break the cycle.