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June 4, 2020

The DV LEAP staff shares our nation’s despair over the systemic racism laid bare by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and all those killed before them. We write and speak their names to honor their lives and to stand in solidarity with those who demand justice and equity for the Black community.  

This is a moment of reckoning for our nation. At DV LEAP, our core values of Justice, Intersectionality, Client-centeredness, Transformation, and Integrity guide our actions and compel us to speak out against anti-Black racism. We recognize that the systems of inequality and dehumanization that fail to protect survivors in court are some of the same structures that oppress Black people. The tragic outcomes are also the same. Whether it’s domestic/interpersonal violence or structural violence, the result is a deep, vast trauma that devastates families and communities for generations. To the Black community and our Black colleagues at peer organizations, we honor your pain and pledge not just words but actions in pursuit of racial justice and healing. 

Silence is violence. For those of us who are White and/or benefit from institutionalized racism, the burden is on us to transform systems that perpetuate power and privilege, starting with ourselves. We recognize that racism permeates every aspect of our society. In response, here’s what you can expect from us. We will continue to: 1) examine and address our implicit biases, 2) listen to the Black community, 3) address our own institutionalized racism, 4) implement anti-racist practices, and 5) work relentlessly to identify and confront racial injustices. As part of that process, we have found these anti-racism resources to be helpful. 

Our hearts are heavy but open as we move forward in solidarity. Together we must create a just, anti-racist society. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”