Nothing will bring George Floyd back, yet today’s conviction of Derek Chauvin bent the arc in the direction of justice. Today’s verdict signals the progress we can and must make to uproot racist structures, though, as the Association of Black Foundation Executives said earlier today, “This is not a time to celebrate, but to collaborate.”
Systemic racism is indeed alive and well. Elijah McClain, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Dominique Luscious, Rayshard Brooks, Kathryn Johnson, and so many other Black and Brown folks who have died at the hands of police are not. This must stop.
Racism takes lives. It erodes health and well-being. And, while we stand in solidarity with today’s conviction, it is only one step of many more we must take. We recommit ourselves today, and every day, to this cause and to collaborations that will transform our collective future and health.