In a move of solidarity, the student body presidents of all 28 Jesuit universities came together to sign on to a letter released Monday morning. Its purpose was to "publicly stand in solidarity" with students and allies "calling for an end to racial injustice within institutions of higher education."

The letter presented a positive view of "protests, demonstrations, and online activism events" at colleges known for recent protests, such as the University of Missouri and Claremont McKenna College. The presidents also evoked the Catholic faith and "a duty to humanity" from the Jesuit tradition to fight against the perceived injustices.

The letter read, in part:

This is a movement that strives for a nation that upholds its constitutional pledge that all citizens be granted equal treatment before the law. It resonates with our Catholic tradition, which recognizes the inherent dignity and value of every human -- naming specifically the human dignity of students of color.



While the intent of the letter may have been good, it was bold to evoke "our Catholic tradition" in such a way. The letter also took a rather one-sided view of the protests, ignoring how students have advocated to curb free speech that they deem offensive. Free speech also happens to be a constitutional right, lest these Jesuit student body presidents forget.

Dartmouth College is not mentioned in the letter. Still, the signatories would likely agree that Black Lives Matter activists who stormed the library while students were preparing for exams and verbally assaulted them, were not recognizing "the inherent dignity and value of every human."

There were also some issues with the tactics employed at Claremont McKenna, which was mentioned in the letter. Protesters there created "safe spaces" through segregation. For instance, one Pomona College student shared how his Latino friend was turned away from a safe space event for his conservative views.

The Los Angeles Loyolan spoke to the Associated Students of Loyola Marymount University (ASLMU) about the letter, which was posted to the ASLMU announcements page.

ASLMU president David Tassone said he hoped the letter would enact both a campus and nationwide dialogue about race, and called on Jesuit colleges and universities to be "catalysts of change."