Dear Student, Faculty, and Staff Colleagues,

As we have watched the news this past week, we have heard repeated expressions of deep frustration over the pace of societal response to end recurring abuses such as that which occurred in Minneapolis. If you have not yet read President Caslen's message on Sunday encouraging the Carolina community to provide leadership in enacting meaningful solutions that will ensure greater justice and equality in our society in the future, I encourage you to do so. President Caslen also reminds us that civility is an important value of our community.

As lawyers and future lawyers, we are well-prepared with the knowledge, the skills, and the commitment to lead the cause of advancing and preserving justice on all fronts and to advocate with both zealousness and civility for meaningful and lasting reforms when they are needed. If you feel called upon to become a leader in efforts to protect the most noble aspirations of the rule of law, I encourage you to do so in a manner consistent with your professional ideals.

Within our community, I urge you also to consider the rhetoric of your own communications and to ask whether your voice is being used responsibly in a manner that will contribute to a solution. President Caslen's message reinforces the availability of university resources to address incidences of hate or bias within the university community. If you have observed such hate or bias, even if it was not addressed directly to you, I encourage you to take advantage of those available resources in reporting unacceptable behavior.

Rob Wilcox