Dear Howard University Community,

We as a community share a common sense of interest and deep concern regarding the present crisis affecting Israel and Palestine. This week, the University will launch an ongoing series of dialogues to provide context about the history, present circumstance, and future possibilities for the region. 

We will offer a space for the entire campus community – students, faculty, and staff – to come together to engage in intentional dialogue around this conflict.  

On Wednesday, November 15, our Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, the Thursday Luncheon Group, and the Association of Black American Ambassadors will host a community conversation. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, president of the Middle East Policy Council, former chief diversity officer, U.S. Department of State and former United States ambassador to Malta, and Deneyse Kirkpatrick, senior advisor with the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy will guide our conversations with insightful historical and cultural context.  

This event will be held in the Founders Library Reading Room starting at 5:00 p.m. On arrival, please have your Howard University student or employee identification card ready to enter.  

This is the first discussion in a series designed to educate and inform participants while allowing for the opportunity to share views openly and respectfully on what is happening in our world. We hope that, by facilitating future engagements we can begin to find common ground and understanding. 

Outside of our upcoming community conversation, we encourage students whose emotional or mental well-being has been negatively impacted by this matter to reach out to our University Counseling Services (UCS). Students may call 202-806-6870 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours and weekend support is available by calling our crisis line at 202-345-6709. For our employees, support is available through the Employee Assistance Program.

In alignment with our 156-year legacy in studying and servicing diasporic peoples, it is through our history of standing for justice and our institutional responsibility to be a place of educational discovery and disseminator of knowledge.  

Our hearts are with all who hurt over this. We pray for healing and hope and look forward to seeing you this week for the first of our community conversation series.  

In Truth and Service, 

Office of University Communications