George Floyd | Breonna Taylor | Tony McDade | Ahmaud Arbery
We speak their names, honoring their humanity and mourning their untimely and unjust deaths.
YNPN San Diego stands in solidarity with the African American/Black community as we process the senseless violence against members of our community and nation. These are just the latest names—the news, social media, and our hearts are filled with countless more. Racism persists, overtly and covertly, every day whether covered by the media or not.
It is a list going back longer than this country’s history, when Black and Indigenous people were dehumanized, their bodies considered capital as their labor was extracted and their families separated, all to build the country we live in today. It is a list lengthened by the insidious systems of oppression, injustice, and racism that manifest time and time again into illness, poverty, lack of opportunity, and violence.
This is America.
And while nothing we do can erase a single name from that list, we can and must honor their lives with our work. YNPN San Diego stands by our values of justice and community, especially today.
We need to speak out loudly to destroy systematized racism and injustice.
We need to listen to those whose voices have been repeatedly silenced.
We need to examine our own implicit biases.
We need to show humanity for each other, be there for each other, and continue our work toward justice.
Together, we have so much work to do, as individuals, as a community, as a region, and as a country. It starts with each of us and our families. And then, it requires a persistent commitment to action.
Silence is not an option.
To those who are hurting, who are raising your voices, and who are actively fighting back against oppression, we see you and support you. Black Lives Matter. Every single day.
To our Black community members, now may be an especially difficult time for you. Remember to sustain yourself for the long haul – take time where you need it for rest, recovery, and rejuvenation. The fight will continue, but it is lessened immeasurably if we lose you during the struggle.
Find your breath. Be present with yourself and your emotions. Be in community, if and however you are able. Give yourself permission to check out and re-energize.
To allies in this struggle who see the injustice and racism and are looking for ways to act, we offer a few resources and actions below you can take personally and within the nonprofit sector, but these are just the beginning.
Resources for Accountability and Action for Black Lives from Carlisa Johnson
In Solidarity,
