Home | Lionel Shapiro

Note of Nov. 29, 2017: I condemn and protest in the strongest terms today’s outrageous dissemination by the U.S. President of videos aiming to incite hatred against Muslims. Such hate speech is not just dangerous, as history abundantly shows; it is fundamentally unjust. It is also antithetical to everything the UConn academic community stands for — hence my protest on this page. I await a clear repudiation of today's action from the U.S. Administration.

Note of June 19, 2018: As a faculty member of an institution that stands for the dignity of all, I express my dismay at the President’s use of dehumanizing language. There can be no justification or excuse for speaking of any group of people as “infest[ing] our Country.”

Note of Jan. 18, 2019: With today's remark spreading rumors of "prayer rugs" at the border, the President has again overstepped any bounds of legitimate political discourse by overtly arousing fear of religious and ethnic minorities. I hope UConn's leadership will reaffirm our stand against such actions and solidarity with those targeted. (Disclaimer: I restrict my protests here to the most overt and undisguised appeals to bigotry by my elected representatives.)