Not all people in our community have the same access to the support and opportunities we need. Some of us are even prevented from accessing what we need because of our race - particularly Black Americans.

We have lived like this for over 400 years. In order to hold Indigenous land and build the United States - colonists needed many people to do their bidding for free or very little pay. They created a new, over-simplified way of dividing people - ‘Black,’ and ‘white,’ and used these labels to determine who had access to rights and freedom, and who had to work for free.

All of our modern systems - including the way we educate, spend money, and create laws - are designed to keep Black people from gaining power - so we can keep them working for cheap.

Enslaved people fought against - and abolished - the old system of slavery, in addition to innovating and shaping American culture today. Black people reclaimed what it means to be ‘Black’ as an identifier of pride in their survival and culture.

But we still use systems that target and hurt Black families. And since none of us are free until all of us are free - it’s our responsibility as Americans of every racial background - to end Black oppression.

We start by learning accurate Black history. We get honest about how our society continues to target Black people today. And we continue by following the lead of Black leaders creating Black futures - new possibilities of how we could live in shared liberation and joy - both tomorrow and today.