A Note From Our Executive Director
The last few weeks have been infuriating and heartbreaking. The horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are a shocking and painful reminder that our country was built on white supremacy and continues to perpetuate the dehumanization and oppression of Black people. The call from Amy Cooper to police exposed a white woman consciously using her privilege to threaten the life of a black man and forced us to confront just how easily white privilege is regularly weaponized against people of color. And all of this is set against the backdrop of an ongoing global pandemic where the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities highlights stark disparities in economic status, housing, and healthcare resulting from and reinforced by systemic racism.
It all feels like too much. And yet, in this moment of extreme crisis, we must find hope in the opportunity to create a more just and antiracist society rooted in the wisdom that all lives cannot matter until Black Lives Matter.
To our Black friends and neighbors, our thoughts are with you. We stand with you and commit to dismantling systems designed to uphold violence, injustice, and inequities. We hope you find space in the days and weeks ahead to care for yourself and your families. We are here to listen and to support.
To our white friends and neighbors, we have so much work to do. We must consistently and actively work to create a just and equitable society that works for all people. We must be committed to dismantling power structures that uphold white supremacy. We are responsible for what happens next. Let’s put in the work it takes to become truly antiracist and urge all white people to do the same. To learn about how you can contribute to dismantling systemic racism, consider reading Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to be Antiracist” or work through Layla Saad’s “Me and White Supremacy Workbook.”
We are committed to continuing to do the work here at Everyone Home DC, and we know we cannot do it without you. Thank you for joining us on the challenging path ahead. If you want to talk about antiracism in the context of our work or yours, remember that we are just a phone call or email away.
Peace and love today and always,
Karen Cunningham
Executive Director
