Dear Friend,
I spent yesterday morning—perhaps like you—anxiously waiting to learn whether George Floyd’s family might be served a measure of justice. Then the verdict came in and I felt relieved, hopeful, and saddened all at once. My mind leapt immediately to its potential effect on the youth we serve.
For Black youth, who are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness and have run-ins with law enforcement, it is important they see law enforcement held accountable for their illegal and unconscionable actions.
There is no doubt that the Chauvin verdict is a significant milestone in holding police officers who are brutal and racist accountable. But it can’t bring George Floyd back to his loved ones or heal the pain of those for whom justice has not been served. So much work remains to be done, by those already weary and wounded, whose steadfast courage in the face of ongoing violent oppression provides hope for the future.*
I pledge to stand with them, with you, in dismantling entrenched systems of oppression. As Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
In solidarity,
Sherilyn
Use Your Voice:
Educational Resources:
- Campaign Zero
- Resources for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence with Kids
- White Fragility: Why it’s So Hard for White to Talk about Racism
- Me And White Supremacy
- White Supremacy Culture
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi
Organizations:
- A Way Home America – ending youth homelessness starts with addressing it for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth as they are overly represented
- Black Vision Collective
- The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
- Anti-Police Terror Project
Image by Scott Olson Getty Images
