Across the country and around the world, we join our communities and fellow companions who are protesting, donating, and speaking out against the murders of Black men and women in America. 

The modern-day lynchings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and others in the past few months alone are monstrous, inhumane, and illegal. These displays of police and vigilante brutality are devastating, and they are just one part of a larger system. If we are to truly address this preventable violence, we must also name and dismantle the persistent forms of systemic racism that impact the physical and mental health of Black people in the United States on a daily basis.

Structural racism and white supremacy are barriers to good health and equitable economic outcomes. Arline Geronimus, a public health researcher and professor, coined the term ‘weathering’ to describe the impact of racial stress on a person’s general health vulnerability after a lifetime of discrimination. And over the past few months, the impacts of Covid-19 have disproportionately affected the Black community because of long-standing structural, economic, and health disparities. The median wealth of white households is nearly 18 times that of Black households in the US, according to US census data, and the unemployment rate of Black workers is nearly double that of White workers.

As an organization that focuses on health and economic inclusion with young people, our work is inextricably tied to dismantling the barriers facing youth, including racism in all of its forms. We commit to elevating the experiences and solutions of Black youth and challenging blatant and subtle forms of anti-Black racism and white supremacy that show up in our work or organization. These are forces that affect the moral integrity of all of us, regardless of skin color, age, or political affiliation. 

We have also made the decision to pause all work through Friday, June 5th. This is an unprecedented moment in the United States and around the world, and we believe that ‘business as usual,’ cannot and should not continue at this time. Our decision was made so that our team, partners, and communities can use this time for grief, protest, self-reflection, and learning. We encourage you to do the same, if you are able.

Take Action Now

There are many great resources circulating on how to show up and meet this moment with anti-racist action. Here are a few starting-point resources and action opportunities that our staff recommend:

1. Support and elevate Black-led organizations. Here are some key organizations that are doing the work at the local and national scale.

   1. Black Visions Collective (Minnesota)

   2. Anti-Police Terror Project (Oakland) 

   3. NAACP Legal Defense Fund (National) 
      
      

2. Take action and bring a friend. Here are two ways to get involved with local and national policy change:

   1. Join your local chapter of Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) 

   2. Push for police accountability policies in your state with Campaign Zero
      
      

3. Educate yourself: If you have privilege because of the color of your skin, take time for self-reflection and learning. 

   1. The 1619 Project (Articles and Podcast)

   2. What White Children Need to Know About Race (Article)

   3. So You Want to Talk About Race (Book)