At moments like this, words feel insufficient. However, remaining silent is not an option. The killing of George Floyd by police on May 25, 2020 precipitated the present cries for justice and institutional change, but Mr. Floyd’s senseless death is part of a demonstrable, historic, and devastating pattern of systemic, targeted oppression and state sanctioned violence against black men and women. As advocates for housing justice, we must acknowledge that our fight is also one for racial justice.
The disproportionate impacts of police brutality, mass incarceration, housing instability, and coronavirus deaths/hospitalizations underscore the inequitable design of our system. Therefore, as we strive to educate ourselves and understand our own role and capacity to change, we also commit to actively undoing the injurious racial intent of our system. We must have the courage to imagine and fight for a radically different future for America.
We also believe that wicked problems are only solved together. We will strive for shared, generational change to stamp out the vestiges of racism and to build a community that works for everyone.
We recommend the book The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein to learn more about the shameful history of discriminatory housing in America as we strive to undo those effects.
Here is a list of more educational resources compiled by others: