Today, nine Duke students have initiated a sit-in at the Allen building in order to draw

attention both to their continuing protests around the incident involving Executive Vice
President Tallman Trask, his vehicle, and Shelvia Underwood, as well as to the
dedication of the Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity Campaign in support of the
Duke workers of color who have been struggling to draw attention to discrimination in
the workplace at Duke, to retaliation against workers voicing their discontent, and to the
insufficiency of the Duke administrations response to those workers and to their
workplace hostile environments.
This letter is a statement of support for the right of students to make their demands
visible and audible. Through our statement of support, we articulate our solidarity with
the workersthose who have risked retaliation and those who are silently standing in
support of the ones who have spokenand the students who are working on their
behalf as an extension of their own commitments to fairness and justice in this
community.
Weve learned that after 10pm tonight, no one is allowed to hand the occupiers food;
they have been told that if one of them tries to open the door and interfere with or
violate an officer, they are subject to arrest. If and when it becomes clear that more
tangible means of support will be made possible, we are ready to help provide that
support also.
For those who would like to know more about the background for this action and for the
on-going campaign of the Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity Campaign, please
see the press release reprinted below, the links to a series of Duke Chronicle articles on
the matter below, and follow the hashtags (also listed below) on Twitter.
If you would like to have your signature on this statement of support, please contact me.
Wahneema Lubiano, Associate Professor
African & African American Studies
-------------------------------------------------------------------April 1, 2016
For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE
DUKE STUDENTS HOLD SIT-IN AT DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS OFFICE,
DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WORKER ABUSE & UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION

DURHAM, NC - At 4:30pm on April 1, 2016, student supporters of the Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity campaign entered
the Allen Building on Duke Universitys campus and are refusing to leave until their demands are met. As a demonstration of
solidarity with Duke workers, students are calling for an end to Duke s plantation politics.
The students are occupying the building that houses the offices of President Richard Brodhead, Provost Sally Kornbluth, Executive
Vice President Tallman Trask, and other members of the Duke Administration.

Working with and witnessing the dedication of Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity and the tenacious spirit they possess for
protecting peace, diversity, and inclusiveness has been an incredibly humbling and inspiring. Particularly for the students, we know
that it is a conscious decision to champion this cause on behalf of the many disenfranchised employees throughout the Duke
community. We could never thank them enough for leveraging the power they possess to demand accountability and justice for Ms.
Underwood as well as the PTS employees who have been adversely affected by the discriminatory practices and hateful behaviors
of Duke administrators, former special events coordinator Renee Adkins said.
Marian Brown, former PTS employee, said When people see discrimination and other abusive behaviors play out in Dukes
workplace, the inclination is to turn a blinds-eye and not get involved because of the very real threat of retaliation. The commitment
to respect and fairness must become greater than ones fear of retribution. We must break free from Dukes bondage of
trepidation. We must speak up, demanding that the behavior cease immediately. We must also demand justice for the victims and
persecution of the perpetrators.
Carolyn Yao, one of the occupiers of the Allen Building, said We are occupying in solidarity with workers of color who
have continually been abused, neglected, discriminated against, and then retaliated against when they speak up. Duke,
particularly manifesting as the three guilty administrators we want immediately removed, has misused its power and
made strategic decisions to absolve itself of responsibility and even advance the public images of implicated
administrators in the process. We want to bring to light the intentionality of these wrongdoings - that through these
actions Duke has proven itself to be unapologetically racist and oppressive to our community at large. We as students will
not be complicit in this agenda. We are planting our bodies down to disrupt administrative space, to resist unchecked
administrative power, and to remind Duke of the worker bodies and livelihoods it is accountable to.
Throughout our occupation and this campaign, Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity is hoping to center the voices of workers,
especially black woman workers. We understand that their voices are often actively silenced, and we want to honor them within our
space and throughout our movement. We want to acknowledge that the driving force for student activism on Dukes campus is
driven by women of color, queer women and queer folks, including those who are currently occupying the Allen Building. In our
occupation, we are also honoring the history of the first Allen Building Takeover in 1969, during which black students put their
bodies on the line for the liberation of marginalized people on Dukes campus.
Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity will continue its pursuit of justice until all members of our community are treated with
dignity and respect. We will continue to occupy the Allen Building until all our demands are met. Our coalition calls for all students,
staff, faculty, and community members to work together in demanding justice and accountability from Dukes administration. We will
not be silenced. Worker abuse ends now!

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/04/nine-students-initiate-allen-building-sit-inplan-to-occupy-building-until-demands-are-met
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/03/we-demand-the-removal-of-3-top-university-administrators
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/03/160316-hathi-public-records-follow
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/03/160301-super-tuesday-preview
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/02/160229-center-for-population-health-sciences

Hashtags for the event:

#DismantleDukePlantation #TakeOutheTrask #CanCavanaugh #DumpDePinto
CONTACTS:
Anastasia Krklia (Duke Student) - (919) 308-8222; ak199@duke.edu
Renee Adkins (Former PTS Employee) - (919) 527-3125; adklr66@gmail.com