In response to the death of George Floyd, Provost Dr. Selma Botman released a statement saying, "The murder of George Floyd is a tragic reminder that the sacred American commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is maddeningly out of reach for our fellow citizens of color. Let us mourn the injustices enabled by racism across our nation while we commit ourselves to the righteous struggle for social justice, grounded in an abiding respect for difference and a humbling recognition that this effort remains as yet unattainable for all Americans."
The Vice Provost and the Dorothy and David I. Schachne Dean of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Dr. Danielle Wozniak, released a statement in response to George Floyd's death. She said, “As a nation, too many of our brothers and sisters have reached the horrific and inescapable moment where they simply can bear no more. No more harassment, no more fear, no more anxiety, no more degradation, no more suspicion, no more murder. This is the time when every citizen must say, we too have had enough. We too must hold Dr. King’s vision of a unified nation in which the color of one’s skin does not determine the outcome of one’s life. We are all tasked with changing the face of our nation and the fate of our citizens.”
In response to the events of March 2020, President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman released a statement saying, "Today should have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police officers in Louisville on March 13. Yeshiva University stands united as we condemn her murder, alongside those of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other victims of racial violence."
Yeshiva's school newspaper, the Observer, published a former Editor-in-Chief's opinion article, which asked the university and the Orthodox community to step up and become anti-racist.
In the summer of 2021, Yeshiva University created an “Associate Dean of Equity in Curriculum and Teaching” position within the law school with the goal to "eradicate systemic racism" and "examine the treatment of race in [the school's] pedagogy and curriculum."
Yeshiva University faced a legal challenge to its diversity and inclusion policies when it refused to recognize an LGBTQ+ student club. In September 2021, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the New York Supreme Court's decision to require Yeshiva to recognize the student club.