A statement we should not have to make…

It’s Tuesday in America. Toni’s gone and families are hurting in Ohio, Texas, California and New York. The families at the Partnership for Southern Equity stand with all who are missing someone today. We can only offer our sentiments and commitment to a better world where white supremacy and hatred are things of the past, and a world in which love unites us all. 

We respect the space for everyone to pause and mourn. We also cannot stand by idly and quiet. The mass shootings in Ohio and Texas this past weekend, and the response or lack thereof from the powers that be, has become too familiar in our country. An act of violence happens and we offer thoughts and prayers, rally for change, and…very little changes—until the next breaking news alert.

When will we reach the point of change? How many more lives must be lost, families broken, and communities torn apart in order for action to be taken, to ensure that we all prosper – something that we at the Partnership for Southern Equity hold dear? Change can come in the form of laws that legislate gun violence and prosecution of organized criminals who call themselves patriots. However, we will never be able to end white supremacy, and see a change that benefits all of us, through public policy alone. True, sustainable, and equitable change can only take place through a revolution of values grounded in a radical love for all of humanity.

We ask that as you navigate the shock of these events, and as you ask yourself what you can do to create change, use that desire to see those around you who might not look, believe, or sound like you not as outsiders, but as fellow members of your community—a community that is stronger through its diversity and openness, than its brokenness and divisiveness. We also ask that you continue to support organizations who are on the front lines of sustainable climate, health, racial, economic and social justice, in order to bring about an American South and an America in which all can prosper without the threat of that prosperity being taken away because of indifference, bigotry and racism.

Our hope is that we will never have to make a statement like this again.

Onward towards equity,
Partnership for Southern Equity