{"id":21718,"date":"2020-06-03T12:16:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T19:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/habitatportlandmetro.org\/?p=21718"},"modified":"2021-11-22T09:18:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T17:18:23","slug":"black-lives-matter-a-message-from-our-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/habitatportlandregion.org\/black-lives-matter-a-message-from-our-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Lives Matter – A Message from our CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black<\/span>
\nWhen MLK wrote these words in 1963, he was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama after leading a march of <\/span>Black<\/span> protesters during <\/span>the<\/span> Civil<\/span> Rights Movement. In this letter, he highlighted the need for direct action to transform the immoral and unjust laws disparaging <\/span>Black<\/span> lives and communities of color. <\/span>N<\/span>early 60 years<\/span> later<\/span>,<\/span> this racial injustice and inhumanity still persists.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How can we live in the land of the free when the color of your skin could be a death sentence?<\/span> After Trayvon Martin\u2019s <\/span>young life <\/span>was <\/span>taken in<\/span> 2012<\/span>, it<\/span> sent shockwaves throughout our country, igniting civil unrest and setting off a succession of protests and marche<\/span>s. Since then,<\/span> the number of deaths has not ceased and the scale of justice has yet to move. Years of witnessing <\/span>Black<\/span> deaths <\/span>has only<\/span>\u2014<\/span>as journalist Jamil Smith puts it<\/span><\/a>\u2014<\/span>resulted in the \u201cdeadening of our collective senses.\u201d Let us not contribute to another decade of systemic oppression and murder at the hands of the law. Now is the time to unite in one clear understanding:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Black<\/span><\/b> Lives Matter.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We join <\/span>George Floyd\u2019s family<\/span>, <\/span>our community, the nation, and the world in mourning <\/span>his<\/span> tragic death<\/span>. We share the outrage at the injustice and inhumanity of his killing at the hands of police.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are angry, heartbroken, and devastated. We cannot fathom the trauma our <\/span>Black<\/span> communities are experiencing. We must utilize our platform to speak out against the systemic racism plaguing our nation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Racism permeates all systems and institutions in our society\u2014including justice. For George Floyd, <\/span>Ahmaud<\/span> Arbery<\/span>, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, and many others, we must continue to fight for justice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 on the principle of radical inclusivity.<\/span> W<\/span>e<\/span> sought to put Dr. King\u2019s message of the beloved community into action–t<\/span>he idea that poverty and homelessness will not be tolerated because it violates the basic tenets of human decency. This cannot be accomplished without systemic change that prioritizes the lives and human dignity of <\/span>Black<\/span>, <\/span>Indigenous<\/span>, and People of Color (<\/span>BIPOC<\/span>)<\/span>. Join us in building a more just future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ways you can take action with us:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n