10 p.m., Sunday, February 27, 2022
Members of the Amherst Community,
Tonight, my thoughts, like many of yours, remain with the people of Ukraine and their valiant efforts to fight Russia's horrifying invasion and ongoing attacks on their country. According to the Washington Post, Belarus “is preparing to join Russia's invasion of Ukraine,” magnifying the horror.
The attacks are being felt here at Amherst most acutely by our Ukrainian students, whose homes, families, friends, and country are under siege and who cannot but be shaken. Key offices at the College are reaching out to offer support. This afternoon I spoke with several of them, and this evening their pain and fear for their loved ones weigh heavily on me, as I am sure it would on you. The implications and repercussions of this invasion will ultimately affect us all. We can deepen our understanding of the ramifications by attending the virtual teach-in at 7:30 p.m Monday, February 28.
President Putin’s patently false and cynical claim that this naked aggression is meant to “demilitarize and denazify Ukraine” is an offense against reason and truth. For that reason, it is also an offense to the values that have drawn students from Ukraine, Russia, and nearly 60 other countries to Amherst for an education that values intellectual integrity, freedom of thought and inquiry, evidence-based knowledge, and the pursuit of mutual understanding and friendship. Friendship, understood as a civic good, is essential at this moment, given the urgency of the problems in this country as well as those abroad, problems that cut deep into the social fabric and can make it particularly hard to extend ourselves to others. I ask that you offer friendship and kindness to our Ukrainian students and also our students from Russia, who bear no responsibility for what is being done in their country’s name.
I will find Monday evening’s panel a help, not only because it will teach me more, but also because it can be a moment of solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are also among us.
Biddy