June 26, 2020

#StopProfitforHate

In solidarity with #StopHateForProfit, a movement by businesses, academic institutions (including the UW), and individuals nationwide who are expressing discomfort and displeasure at the refusal of the leadership at Facebook to identify and eliminate hate speech from their platforms, the School of Nursing is taking a hiatus from posting to Facebook and Instagram on our official accounts starting July 1. I will also be suspending any activity from my personal accounts on these two platforms.

As an academic institution, we support free speech. But when free speech becomes hate speech or encourages violence, that speech is no longer free. We do not accept racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or white supremacist expression as being part of the social discourse that is free. Hate speech is speech for which others pay an incalculably great price. Nor will we stand behind posts that call for violence directed towards anyone in any community.

I encourage you as individuals to consider redirecting your social media activity so you add to the momentum that is building against hate speech and those who provide such speech a place to fester.

I cannot say when or even if we will return to posting on these social media platforms. It depends in substantial part on a commitment from Facebook (which owns Instagram) to no longer being complicit in the propagation of hate speech.

Thank you for your continued support in the fight against racism.