[This column, previously on my main page, was limited to protesting some of the most overtly and explicitly anti-democratic statements by my own country’s leadership.  I hope there will be no reason to add to it.]

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.”

Update: With his ongoing nativist demagoguery (e.g., spreading rumors of “prayer rugs” at the border on Jan. 18, 2019, or suggesting that American lawmakers “go back” to other countries on July 14), the President continues to overstep any bounds of legitimate political discourse. I hope that UConn’s leadership will reaffirm our democratic values in the face of these attacks on them, and our solidarity with all members of the UConn community who are the targets of such vilification and exclusion on the basis of religion, race, or ethnicity.

Note of June 29, 2020: three months ago, UConn President Thomas Katsouleas rightly deplored “reckless rhetoric from some prominent public leaders” targeting minorities. I want to express my solidarity with those at UConn and beyond who are endangered by President Trump’s ongoing promotion of racist messages.