Black Lives Matter | Solidarity and action

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are the product of centuries of unaddressed structural and systemic racism – the same forces of oppression that drive poverty.

RESULTS recognizes the persistent burden of racism and police brutality, especially on Black people, including our grassroots volunteers, partners, staff, and board who are directly impacted when society fails to recognize that Black lives matter.

We condemn anti-Black racism and all forms of oppression. We offer our sincere condolences to the families of George, Breonna, Ahmaud, and so many more Black people.

But condolences aren’t enough. As advocates we must confront racism and fight to change the policies that perpetuate it.

In our work on poverty, we see how decades and centuries of racist public policy led to where we are today. Our anti-racism work and our U.S. advocacy on affordable housing, the insidious racial wealth divide, more equitable tax policy – they’re all bound up together. That extends to our global advocacy, where the legacy of colonialism and other oppressive forces continue to drive inequity in health, education, and opportunity. And coronavirus is only widening inequalities created by racism.

Yesterday afternoon, our ongoing grassroots anti-oppression working group met to focus on what more RESULTS can and must do in this moment. We still have a long way to go in our anti-oppression work, and this year we’ll be going through an external audit to guide our next steps.

Here are five ways we encourage you to take action now:

• Follow the expertise, leadership, and guidance of Black-led organizations and community networks focused on racial justice, and donate to support their work.
• As a RESULTS advocate, you know how to write to the media and push your member of Congress into action. Use those skills. At RESULTS we’re not experts on legislative solutions to police violence or criminal justice reform, but we encourage you to lend your support to local, state, and national organizations that are (Movement for Black Lives, Color of Change, NAACP, and the Equal Justice Initiative are a few groups working nationally).
• There will be a caucus for Black, Indigenous, and people of color within RESULTS to gather and process together on Thursday, June 4 at 7:45pm ET. This is an informal, confidential conversation reserved for RESULTS advocates who are part of communities directly affected by racism. The meeting will be password protected to provide a safe space. Please contact Yolanda Gordon [email protected] for log-in details.
• If you’re new to anti-racism work or want to learn without putting the burden on Black peers to educate you, join an informal conversations Wednesday, June 3 at 9pm ET or Wednesday, June 10 at 9pmET, particularly focused on the appropriate role for white people in anti-racism. And to start you can learn from these anti-oppression resources compiled by RESULTS volunteers.
• If you have feedback on how else RESULTS should be responding, please let us know.

RESULTS advocates come from all backgrounds, and our diversity gives us strength. In all our advocacy and partnerships, we need to center the communities most directly affected.

As a white person myself, I and the other white people in our movement have a responsibility to use our privilege to help dismantle racism. I am committed to doing better, supporting this organization to do better, and advocating for policies that do better. I stand with you this week and always.