First, our heart and sincere condolences are with the family of George Floyd. A nation mourns with you. We watched as a handcuffed, unarmed Black man in Minneapolis lost his life. The shock of this is overwhelming and to have happened in the middle of a pandemic only adds to the trauma.
Let’s just say it, there is real pain that words have a hard time soothing at the moment and have left so many feeling angry, powerless and helpless.
But we are not. In countless communities for countless hours, Americans assembled peacefully based on a belief in our shared humanity and a demand that this be recognized as the way we treat and love one another.
At the risk of giving too much life to opportunistic protestors, this tragedy must be more than a conversation about who looted what and where. We must move beyond the distractions and get busy addressing the long-term and systematic inequities that plague our communities.
There is a jigsaw puzzle of proven solutions out there to pursue including education as a poverty alleviator, quality job access, accessible healthcare, community policing and capital access via community development financial institutions (CDFIs), like LISC. CDFIS were established in response to a need to move money to people and places that need it most.
We will continue to take action and ask that you join us in the following endeavors to:
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