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UW President recalls 1979 death of brother

SEATTLE — The violence in Charlottesville this past weekend struck a deeply personal and painful cord for the president of the University of Washington.

Ana Mari Cauce issued a statement Monday saying the weekend was difficult for all who believe in justice and equity. But the death of a young protester sparked memories of her own family's loss.

Cauce said: "The images of the Klan, Nazis and neo-Nazis brought me back to the horror of almost 40 years ago to another Saturday morning when people from these same groups murdered my own brother, Cesar, then 25."

Cesar Cauce and four others were killed during a protest against the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party in North Carolina in 1979, which became known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Ana Mari Cauce says we're at a time in our country's history when we must recommit to inclusion and equality.

Cauce has been a member of the University of Washington faculty since 1986, and became interim president in March 2015. She previously served as provost and executive vice president, and the University's Board of Regents chose her to become the UW's 33rd President in October 2015.

Cauce is also a professor of Psychology and American Ethnic Studies, with secondary appointments in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies and the College of Education.