The murder of George Floyd by police, and the hard work of Black Lives Matter and other anti-racist groups, have focused the nation’s attention on systemic racism and injustice to an extent not seen in decades. This heinous act followed the racist killings in May of Ahmaud Aubrey, Dreasjon Reed and Breonna Taylor, and many thousands more dating back centuries.
From the time Whites stole the lives of Blacks in Africa and forced them to labor for America’s economy, white supremacy and toxic racism have been part of the fabric of our country. Whites have lied about it, inventing false rationales for the way things are, never taking responsibility for that hypocrisy or accepting the duty to meaningfully address the wrongs done.
We see the consequences of long-standing systemic racism in the issues Not Dead Yet works on every day. Racial disparities in healthcare, so well covered by NDY’s Anita Cameron, have resulted in COVID-19 fatalities disproportionately impacting Blacks and people of color. Though slavery is no longer legal, Blacks are still America’s essential workers and are still dying because of it.
Not Dead Yet is in solidarity with members of our community, including the disability community, who are fighting the deadly consequences of racism. We recognize that we are part of a society that grants unearned privilege to some, while leaving many of us behind. We reaffirm our commitment to work to break down these systems of oppression so that, finally, every one of us can share equally in the liberty and justice our country has promised.