To those who have spoken up and taken action already — thank you for your courage. We have been more tentative than others, defaulting initially to puzzlement and despair. Today we are joining the conversation.
Our small company includes non-black people of color, some of whom have experienced racism but never to the point of fearing for their lives. Some of us have been bullied by police but none have felt a physical blow. In the face of these small indignities, we have mostly chosen to bite our lip.
The casual murder of George Floyd in broad daylight, and the many killings of those who came before him, make it so achingly clear that quiet indignation is not enough. Just because we are not black does not mean we shouldn’t speak out. The black lives taken in America are stains on our humanity, suggesting that we are complicit unless we do something.
We are donating 10% of proceeds from this past weekend to @peoplescitycouncil. We also commit to having open and honest conversations with the racists in our lives, and questioning our own racism, however latent it may be. Nothing will change if we limit our dialogue to the echo chamber of friendly voices — we have to seek the discomfort of confronting people we don’t agree with, whether they are strangers, colleagues or family members.
Our country is being torn apart in front of our eyes by the ugly marriage of racism and unchecked police brutality — the gravity of these problems demands our full attention right now.