Dear Supporters and Friends,
Like so many of you, we are heartbroken. We are outraged. We are fed up. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other violent acts perpetrated against Black people—just this year—continue to underscore the need for a transformation in our nation.
Black lives matter. They always have. And we join in solidarity with our staff, our participants, our community, and the millions of people, not just in the US, but around the globe, who have lifted their voices to say “enough.” Enough with the racial and economic injustice that creates deep despair within Black communities. Enough with the inexcusable racist rhetoric and incitement to violence by our President. And enough with the systems of racism and oppression that have led to unacceptable over-policing, police brutality, and mass incarceration.
The protests of the past week broadcast a message that is loud and clear: racial equity needs to become our new normal—and that means ending police brutality and enacting police reforms now. It means dismantling institutional barriers that prevent access to education, economic opportunity, and justice. And it means partnering with communities to repair the social fabric that has been torn and frayed by decades of institutional neglect and disrespect.
At Heartland Alliance, we listen to the voices of the marginalized and oppressed, lifting up their experiences and expertise to help us create effective programs and advocate for system change. We work for equity and opportunity for all. And we commit to working with our partners in all of the communities in which we work to realize racial equity now.
We have created spaces for racial healing and are expanding them internally and externally with community partners to listen, heal, and drive real, authentic change.
We will continue combating gun violence by engaging the men most involved, treating them with dignity and respect, and forging relationships that help them heal from their trauma and prepare for a new future.
We will expand housing and build a trauma recovery center for people who have suffered the most from institutional racism and neglect.
And we will not stop until we see a complete transformation of the laws and systems in Illinois to ensure that people who have been involved in the criminal legal system have an opportunity to fully participate in society and be free.
We commit ourselves every day, with every decision and action, to anti-racism and nonviolence.
We hope you will draw strength, optimism, and purpose from our shared vision.
In solidarity,
Evelyn Diaz
President, Heartland Alliance
