By Laura Bloomberg and Garry Jenkins
In the wake of George Floyd’s tragic killing by Minneapolis police, Minnesotans are searching for answers and demanding change.
As protests and unrest rock our community, we must not only advocate for responses to this horrific incident but also address larger questions: How will policymakers and lawyers lead the way for real systemic change? How will our current and future leaders move beyond just thoughts and prayers alone?
Laura Bloomberg and Garry Jenkins, deans of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Law School, respectively, wrote of their shared responsibility in addressing these questions in a commentary for MinnPost.
“We commit and rededicate ourselves to preparing our next generation of legal and public policy practitioners who will challenge racist and dysfunctional systems, and devote their professional lives to the pursuit of justice and civil rights for all of society,” they wrote.
“As Minnesota’s flagship law and public affairs schools, we will double down on our responsibility to serve and support the Twin Cities community — through our clinics, courses, internships, policy engagement, and scholarship. We need new voices and new partnerships, and we need them now.”
