Dear families and friends,
We are angry. As an organization committed to “equity for all families and children,” we cannot sit on the sidelines while our Black youth continue to face violence from those empowered to uphold the law, generation after generation.
We are hurt. Let us hold, for a moment, how it must feel to lose a child to violence; hold, if you can, how Michael Brown’s family feels at this very moment. Let what you feel strengthen the compassion that binds all of us together, parent to child and parent to parent.
We are saddened. The wounds inflicted in communities of color in our country are deep and old. In an effort to divert attention from the injustice served, the media coverage – of predominately peaceful, youth-led protests against institutionalized racism – has sensationalized the response of our communities and powerful organizing work done by so many in the hundred days since Michael Brown’s murder.
As a social justice organization, we stand for the protection of all children. We stand with the victims’ families. And we call for action and justice.
Let us continue talking to all of our children about racism, how we can fight it, and how being an ally is a powerful tool for peace. At the same time, we:
- Commit to connecting with and listening to families everywhere who are being marginalized and whose voices are still not being heard.
- Ask our policy makers and government officials to change these archaic and oppressive systems; they must not shrink from action during these troubled times.
- Encourage you to continue the dialog on how LGBTQ communities can best stand in solidarity with racial justice movements.
Our hearts go out to Michael’s family and the greater community as we mourn, seek justice, and work together for change.
In solidarity,
Our Family Coalition’s Team
PS: Do you have innovative ideas that can help Our Family Coalition expand this often challenging, yet transformative, intersectional work? Talk to us! Email recommendations, along with your name and contact information, to policy@ourfamily.org. Thanks!
