To our King County community,
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Our mission here at United Way is to bring caring people together to give, volunteer and take action.
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Right now, we must take action.
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Amidst all the anger, pain, sadness and fear experienced and witnessed as individuals, families and communities, it is critical that we remember that we all have a role to play in the fight for racial and social justice.
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We must acknowledge and take action against the racist systems that target and impact people of color, especially the black and African-American communities and black and African-American men in particular. If there is any hope to bring about change and dismantle the broken systems that surround us, action is necessary.
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The areas of our organizational work-fighting homelessness, helping students graduate and ensuring families are financially stable-are all affected by, if not a result of, systemic racism. One of the most glaring symptoms of this racism is how disproportionately people of color experience the injustices of homelessness, education inequities and poverty.
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We must fight these inequities by supporting the communities that face the greatest barriers. In our own efforts, we are intentionally working in partnership with community- and culturally-centered organizations, as they know the needs and ways to best support their communities. We are also prioritizing and focusing our support in communities of color.
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These are some of the steps we have taken in our work. They won't be the only ones in our efforts to change the systems, policies and cultures that perpetuate racism and poverty.
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In his recent blog, I Can't Breathe, our President and CEO, Gordon McHenry, Jr., shared this: "Together we can do better and we must do better if we are to hold ourselves accountable to the communities we serve. It's our responsibility to pursue social justice in a way that will lift a community up-not tear it apart."
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Right now, we are listening so that we know how and where to best take action. We hear and echo the cries for justice. We are committed to fight to dismantle systemic racism, and until that happens, we are committed to addressing the symptoms.
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For ways that you can learn more and take action, we have compiled information here, Learn and Act: Anti-Racist Resource List. You can also read more about our stance here, We Stand Firmly in Support of Racial Justice and Against Police Violence.
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Please take care,
Your United Way of King County team
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