#BlackLivesMatter

We are heartbroken over the unjust death of George Floyd. We have made many statements against injustices in the past, but the death of George Floyd needs way more than making a statement. We can’t stand the repeated failures to recognize the urgent need for a complete overhaul of how police operate – from training at the police academy to continuous on the job training, re-training and oversight. Statements can be powerful because words are powerful. But peaceful protests have erupted into anger because words are not enough. We have spoken the words. We have worn the t-shirts, tweeted the hashtags, created the signs and written the op-eds. They have fallen on deaf ears. It’s time to act. They have fallen on deaf ears. It’s time to act.

White privilege is not just a catchy phrase. White people can do all of these things (copied from a facebook post) without thinking twice. The list is worth publishing and reading because it’s not just about considering privilege, it’s about really thinking about what it is like to be black in America. Taking action starts with truly understanding this reality. And demanding that it stop.

• go jogging (#AmaudArbery).
• relax in the comfort of their own homes (#BothemJean and #AtatianaJefferson).
•  ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride).
• have a cellphone (#StephonClark).
• leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards).
• play loud music (#JordanDavis).
• sell CD’s (#AltonSterling).
• sleep (#AiyanaJones).
• walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown).
• play cops and robbers (#TamirRice).
• go to church (#Charleston9).
• walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin).
• hold a hair brush while leaving my own bachelor party (#SeanBell).
• party on New Years (#OscarGrant).
• get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland).
• lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile).
• break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones).
•  shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford).
• have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher).
• read a book in my own car (#KeithScott.
• be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover).
• decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese).
•  ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans).
• cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood).
•  take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo).
• run (#WalterScott).
• breathe (#EricGarner).
•  live (#FreddieGray).
• ask someone to put a leash on their dog when it is required in the public park we are in (#ChristianCooper).
• BE ARRESTED WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING MURDERED (#GeorgeFloyd).