[NFBOH-Cleveland] Please Read!

[Suzanne Turner]

National Federation of the Blind

Stands in Solidarity with All Those Impacted by Racial Injustice

Baltimore, Maryland

June 4, 2020 

 

For eighty years, the National Federation of the Blind has viewed addressing
discrimination and promoting equality as essential elements of our work.
Today we stand in solidarity with the black community in their fight for
justice and in their pursuit of equal treatment under the law. We condemn
the continued murders of black Americans including those of Ahmaud Arbery,
Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Further, we acknowledge that these
horrific deaths represent a vile and long-standing pattern of
institutionalized racism that permeates the criminal justice system. While
there are police officers that are doing good work, the fact remains that
black and brown individuals are disproportionally impacted by police
brutality, unfairly condemning people of color to prison cells and
graveyards. 

As a civil rights organization with a diverse membership, we strive to grow
in our understanding of conditions that affect us. Throughout our history,
we have participated in civil disobedience and honor the value that it holds
to bring about social change. We are firmly committed to enacting our
organizational diversity statement, which in part expresses, "We recognize
that our views and convictions will be challenged, and we expect this
challenge to take place in a climate of tolerance and mutual respect in
order to maintain a united organization." Recognizing that this is a time of
intense grief, a time of learning, and a time of reflection, we stand with
our members who are in pain and pray not only for peace but for justice. We
stand in solidarity with our black members and publicly commit to do
anti-racist work within our organization. We ask our nonblack members to
take the time to self-reflect in ways we can participate to create an
anti-racist world. With you in love, with you in justice, we affirm that
#BlackLivesMatter.

 

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