We Cannot Stand Silent

A Response to George Floyd’s Death, Systemic Injustice, and Our Need to Do Better

Like so many of you, we at United Way of Lane County are horrified, angry, and disappointed by what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis, and to so many of our neighbors, friends, and loved ones who are Black/African American in recent months and throughout our history. We ache with the pain of lost lives, hurting families, and the systemic racism that permeates throughout our society. This is not something that only happens across the country or across the world—racism, discrimination, and racial violence are happening all around us and we cannot stand silent or neglect our duty to tackle these inequities and mistreatment.

The purpose, mission, and vision of United Way is to bring all the focus, passion, and resources of our communities together to fight for opportunity and justice—we exist to face these challenges unflinchingly and honestly. While we are also working to recreate how we do this work—facing the ways we have participated in upholding oppressive systems, confronting when we have not done enough to address the ways racism and white supremacy hold back the very people we want to help—we are as committed as ever to continuing to strive to do better.

We need you. We need all of us to step up, get involved, and use our privilege, our passion, and our resources to truly face and fight the injustices happening all around us. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option. It will take every one of us, United, to make sure that each child and person of color experiences the same opportunities, education, safety, and security that our white neighbors do. Silence, apathy, or leaving it to someone else is not an option.