The_Diversity_Of_Outrage%2C_Camille_Nelson.mp3

As protesters across the nation demonstrate against police action and grand jury inaction in the Michael Brown shooting and Eric Garner choke-hold deaths, Suffolk University Law School Dean Camille Nelson expresses hope that change may come, debuting her essay “The Diversity of Outrage” on WGBH News.

“I teach law, I respect the rule of law, I advocate for the rule of law, but at the same time the system is broken and needs to be fixed,” Nelson told WGBH News.

She says her essay was born out of a necessity to remain optimistic during a time of national tragedy.

“Some good has to come of these tragedies and all this turmoil and upheaval in our country,” she said.

Nelson says she found the diversity among protesters particularly promising. 

“I saw... faces -- of every color, all ethnicities, different religions... men, women, transgender individuals – united… That brought a smile to my face.”

That optimism, she says, is how “The Diversity of Outrage" was born

Camille Nelson is the dean of Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Her academic interests are focused on the intersection of critical race theory and cultural studies with particular focus on criminal law and procedure. You can listen to Nelson reading her essay above, or read it below. 

The Diversity of Outrage

By Camille Nelson

In the midst of it all:

I am grateful for the diversity of outrage;

I am grateful that the world is watching;

I am grateful that young people are activated and mobilizing;

I am grateful that older people are activated and reengaged;

I am grateful that technology will help to chronicle, spread the word, educate, and deter;

I am grateful that many are realizing we are not, in fact, post-racial;

I am grateful that structures and systems are being critiqued, as well as individuals;

I am grateful that students are talking, seeking, and doing;

I am grateful that our complacency cannot continue;

I am grateful that some politicians are being honest and authentic in their response;

I am grateful that more leaders are emerging;

I am grateful that it is a small world and all are hearing;

I am grateful that we can never be the same, because we cannot continue in this way;

We know the lessons of history—movements are born out of turmoil. Transformation is inevitable. Change will come.