Statement regarding George Floyd, our nation and our community

The Legatum Center denounces the brutal violence and racial injustice that led to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death echoes the loss of many African American lives at the hands of law enforcement. Like many in our community and across the world, we are grappling with the reality of this systemic racism that needs to be dismantled.

Today, we stand in solidarity with all people speaking against oppression and injustice. We need to break the cycles of complicity that enable injustice to take root in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

The Legatum Center was created to support entrepreneurs fighting to create more inclusive and sustainable economies across emerging markets. The peaceful uprising in different cities across the United States uphold our own values of equity, openness and inclusivity. The fight for inclusivity and equality is personal as it is political.

As President Reif expressed in a letter last week, we at MIT must continue to be “a community with an essential commitment to facing hard facts, thoughtfully striving to correct our errors – and working together to address humanity’s greatest challenges.” While we might experience pain, anger and powerlessness at this time, it is our responsibility to continue to address and work on the present challenge of building a more inclusive community around our common values of freedom, social justice and peace for all.