We DEMAND justice for the Black men and women murdered at the hands of the police:
Daunte Wright
George Floyd
Breonna Taylor
Ahmaud Arbery
Sean Reed
Tony McDade
Michael Brown
Freddie Gray
Sandra Bland
Eric Garner
Trayvon Martin
Tamir Rice
So many more…
We ask you, is this enough?
This week, The Southwest Center mourns the horrific loss of Daunte Wright, his life was stripped away due to the excessive force of Kim Potter, a Minnesota police officer.
The systematic killing and oppression of Black people in our country must end!
The Southwest Center stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, all people and organizations across Arizona and our Nation who are fighting for racial and social justice.
With the continuing rise in Black pain and death at the hand of those sworn to protect, it lays bare what has always been a fact: the institutions in our nation are built upon racism and misguided privilege.
The Southwest Center’s mission is to take an integrated, holistic approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. We do this through testing services, medical services, behavioral health services, community empowerment and outreach services. We meet our client’s immediate needs while taking social action, led by our Black Lives Matter Coalition. We are helping dismantle the system that perpetuates racial disparities in health, food security, education, employment, and economic security.
More than half of The Southwest Center’s staff are people of color. The vast majority of the 30,000 individuals who look to The Southwest Center for support are people of color. These are our friends, our family, our neighbors. We believe their lives are valued. We must consciously look at ways to create equitable structures for the success of all people. Not detrimental to those of color.
Over the next few months, The Black Lives Matter Coalition at The Southwest Center will celebrate the lives of those we lost through police brutality, we will host a Health fair geared toward people of color who have limited access to services, and implement strategies to connect with the Black community in the greater Phoenix area.
If you identify as someone with privilege, how can you use your privilege to change the system?
CHALLENGE YOURSELF!
Respectfully,
Chel’sea Ryan, Aretha Moore, Michael Sheppard, Arthurine “Cookie” King, Robert Carter, and Naomi Antrelle-Jones, Members of The Black Lives Matter Coalition at The Southwest Center
