Statement on George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery

JUNE 2, 2020

Today and every day, we at BCPP stand in solidarity against racism. The Black community faces the highest risk of dying from breast cancer, something we work on every day, and yet there is a greater disease threatening Black women and men: systemic racism.

Last week, police brutality took the life of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and too many others over the countless weeks, months, and years, like Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Our hearts are filled with outrage and grief. And our support goes out to the Black lives most impacted by what is going on. We are listening. We are in this together. We are committed to doing better in our efforts to create real and lasting change. It is our responsibility to ensure that racial inequity remain in the forefront of our attention — not because of the continued horrific events but because of the commitment we must make to prevent further moments like this.

We are in the belly of a sea change that is long overdue and yet painful, dredging up generational trauma and grief, danger and fear, and so much uncertainty.  This is the fire of change. This is a movement that cannot be stopped, and BCPP is committed to ensuring that racial justice remains at the forefront of our attention until the systemic racism that allows this hatred to continue is dismantled.

It’s not enough to be “not racist” in the face of state-sanctioned violence—we must be anti-racist. It is not enough to simply change the system that is founded on racism, we must commit to creating a new one in unity with people of color. We call for an end to the life-threatening oppression caused by racial, economic, and social inequity. Without true justice, we will have no peace. The history we are seeing repeat itself over and over again will continue to take innocent lives and tear our society apart until we all take action to change ourselves and our society.

Final thoughts: we should all double down on our commitment to equity, and to listening, learning, reflecting, and then acting to become even stronger allies. May we all stand in solidarity with the Black and people of color-led organizations who are pushing us forward in this time to create a more just and equitable world.

And lastly, may we all believe in unity and stand for equality, health, and justice for all.

#BlackLivesMatter

See our follow-up commitment, turning words into action: We Can Do Better, We Will Do Better