Our country is in pain and mourning, not only from COVID-19 which has disproportionately affected black and indigenous communities, but from hundreds of years of historical trauma, oppression, and racial violence. When one person suffers at the hands of violence, we all suffer from the hands of violence. The killing of George Floyd and many other black people in America affects each and everyone one of us.
We condemn violence and police brutality toward black and brown people around the country, as well as here in Washtenaw and Livingston Counties. We hold the morals, values, and principles of equality and justice firmly in our hearts. We want accountability upheld for the injustices that have been perpetrated toward black, indigenous, and people of color. We also want to see that black and brown people are valued, treated with dignity and loved. We are committed to actively listen, to help community leaders with peaceful solutions and upend the systems of injustice that have so deeply failed and fractured communities of color.
We are proud of our conflict resolution and restorative justice work, which is deeply rooted in the beliefs and cultural practices of peacemaking by indigenous communities. We are humbled and honored that the Little River Band of Ottawa Indian Tribe shared and trusted in us – many years ago – to teach a community-centered way of life to help and heal others. We have always been committed to bringing wholeness back into our communities. That has never changed or waivered in our 35 years, nor will it change now.
We will always stand with black and brown communities and continue creating a more peaceful, loving and just world.
Peace & Justice,
The DRC Team