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We can all be better. #blacklivesmatter

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

— Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Eight days ago, police killed George Floyd viciously and unjustly. The horror of his last minutes were captured and replayed again and again on social media. “I can’t breathe”, is now an anthem against injustice. Mr. Floyd’s death is just one of a long history of cruel reminders that in our society for far too long black lives have not mattered. In fact, the lives of anyone of color have undeniably been devalued and marginalized.

We have to do better. At HomeFirst we work daily to end homelessness, a burden disproportionately carried for far too long by men, women, and children of color. This is an indisputable fact.

We can do better. We can all become allies against racial injustice. We can listen with humility and without being defensive. We can educate ourselves and extend our voices. For the men and women who, simply because of the color of their skin, cannot walk, drive, congregate even on familiar streets without an awareness that their personal safety may at any time be threatened, we need to be aware, empathetic and consciously involved to help make a lasting change. Dr. King also said, "The time is always right to do what is right." Well, the time is now to say no to brutality, to indifference, to denial. The time is now to listen and learn and act.

We will do better. #blacklivesmatter