Dear Indivisibles,
This week, we listened in tears to the words spoken at the funeral of a man who, by virtue of being Black, had his life cruelly and without justification, taken from him. We have seen the world come together in grief and horror as once again, we bore witness to the pain, suffering, and discrimination of Black Americans in a country that has never been held accountable. Black Lives Matter. No justice, no peace. This time we pray, change is coming. And it will come in honor of George Floyd.
The murders of so many Black Americans and the attempted cover-ups that followed have deeply saddened and angered all of us. The police brutality that ended their lives must be met with truth and justice. Our country has a history of delaying and denying that justice. It’s time to confront the systemic racism that permeates our society. Racism is not limited to one political party, one region, one state, one community. It has been built into the very fabric of America. Confronting our racist history and how it is alive today is at the core of the Black Lives Matter movement. And so, we must turn to the Black Community for guidance on how best to organize, to learn, to work together and identify that which makes the largest difference in our quest for true justice.
We commit to listening to Black leadership now and in the future, to follow their lead, and by all means, to stay engaged. We can find the answers to questions such as: “What can I do?” “How do I learn about racism?” and “Why is this happening?” To that end, we have provided you with local organizations to follow, and actions that you can take.We cannot stop there. Understand that we will continually and without let-up, hold each other accountable for our actions and the actions of our fellow citizens. We commit to supporting the various organizations and their goals, especially in the less than 150 days remaining before Election Day:
Local Organizations:
Black Lives Matter Santa Barbara
Juneteenth Santa Barbara
Showing up for Racial Justice Santa Barbara
What you can do to be an ally:
-Take action on Black Lives Matter SB’s list of demands to support racial justice in our community.
-Donate to organizations that fight for racial justice.
-Educate yourself and your children about racism and white privilege.
-Follow Racial Justice Organizations on social media for further updates.
-Support these organizations fighting racism and police brutality.
With respect,
The Indivisible Santa Barbara Steering Committee