A Joint Statement on Martyrs Day: Honoring 1st Lt. Richard W. Collins III

From the Presidents of Bowie State University and the University of Maryland

Martyrs Day calls on Marylanders to reflect on sacrifice and recommit to the unfinished work of justice. In that spirit, our universities honor 1st Lt Richard W. Collins III — a Bowie State student two days after his army commissioning and three days before his college graduation when his life was taken in an act of hate on the University of Maryland campus in 2017.

Richard's death changed both of our institutions. It led to legal reform, a lasting partnership between our universities, and nearly a decade of work through our social justice alliance to turn grief into action. On this Martyrs Day, we honor the memory and recommit to the pursuit of justice his legacy continues to demand.

We stand together in gratitude for Lieutenant Collins' life, and in commitment to the future his legacy still calls us to build.

Aminta H. Breaux, Ph.D.
President, Bowie State University

Darryl J. Pines, Ph.D.
President, University of Maryland