We, the members of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian editorial board, write today to condemn the individuals involved in sending a racist, hateful email to Black members of the University of Massachusetts community.

This email is the second attempt in an academic year to divide and cause discourse within the UMass community. It comes at a time when so many of us are preparing to achieve greatness in the world beyond our University, and at the end of SoulFest, a celebration of the Black community at UMass. It is contemptible that some individuals feel they have the right to target and harass Black students during this time of celebration.

It is difficult to balance the need to address these incidents with the obligation not to amplify the racist and deeply harmful rhetoric that these emails contain. Whoever is sending these out obviously is attempting to create division on campus, and reporting on it draws attention to their emails, potentially furthering the harm. Nonetheless, it is vital that we acknowledge and address the pain that Black students are experiencing. This struggle is a constant discussion in the newsroom, and we are doing our best to serve the UMass community in the least harmful way possible.

Here at the Collegian, we strive to provide a platform and space for Black student voices, and a welcoming environment of diversity, equity and inclusion always.

We want to assure the UMass community that we are striving to cover these racist incidents in a thoughtful and productive way. The Collegian has struggled to cover such incidents in the past, and has been complicit in sensationalizing acts of hate on campus. We have also failed to include Black perspectives in our coverage. We can and will do better to represent the entire UMass community.

We do not tolerate any form of racism, hatred or disrespect at the Collegian, and we proudly stand in solidarity with our Black staff and the Black community at UMass.