Campus Community:
At Wittenberg, we abide by core values that speak to affirming the dignity of every person, and to educating the mind to know and the heart to care. These values call us to foster a diverse and inclusive community. They also call on us to fight hate, bigotry, violence, and racial injustice. Consistent with the ELCA’s Social Statement on Race, Ethnicity, and Culture, we also must “model an honest engagement with issues of race, ethnicity and culture, by being a community of mutual conversation, mutual correction, and mutual consolation.”
While we respect the rights of free speech and assembly, we are also keenly aware that the Ku Klux Klan has historically leveled its attacks against select ethnicities, religious groups, nationalities, and the LGBTQ+ community. This weekend, as we remember those who sacrificed to preserve our freedoms, we applaud those who will bring a different message to the communities of the Dayton region in response to the KKK rally planned for Courthouse Square on Saturday.
Michael L. Frandsen, Ph.D.
President, Wittenberg University