Black Lives Matter – A Joint Statement From Members Of The Worcester Together Coalition

 A JOINT STATEMENT FROM MEMBERS OF THE WORCESTER TOGETHER COALITION 

Together we rise, together we stand, and together we change. On behalf of the Worcester Together Coalition, comprising more than 100 individuals and organizations formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, we rise and we stand in condemnation of the brutal acts perpetrated by Minneapolis police officers in the murder of George Floyd. We stand in the name of countless Black lives lost at the hands of police and civil vigilantes and in the name of all Communities of Color that have and continue to experience institutional inequity and brutality. We seek to create and make change to shift the oppressive imbalances in our country in the name of all Communities of Color that have experienced profound loss including for George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Sandra Bland, Botham Jean, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and for whom their families and communities have endured deep pain, anger, frustration, and fear because of systemic racism and inequity. 

Silence is not an option. Action is paramount. Worcester Together has demonstrated our ability to act and respond in crisis through COVID-19. Today, we speak aloud in disgust and with deep sorrow for our community and our country, and to leverage our collective and unified power to act and make change. The devastating racial disparities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are intrinsically related to our nation’s history of white supremacy and structural racism. It is a legacy that we must reject and dismantle. As we seek to address the COVID-19 crisis and to build a fair and just “new normal” we commit ourselves to these principles in all that we do, both individually and collectively: 

1. We will acknowledge the reality of white supremacism in our history and its insidious presence in our institutions, public school system, police department, community based organizations, and ways of doing business and will facilitate courageous conversations and frank discussion of the issues at hand as a community. We will recognize our inadvertent complicity in the perpetuation of this injustice. 

2. We will approach every initiative, policy or program that we undertake as an opportunity to dismantle racism. We will do this explicitly and embrace accountability for our results. 

3. We will consistently and promptly identify, name, question, and actively resist and denounce policies in our criminal justice, law enforcement, education and health institutions that injure people of color and deprive them of the opportunity to participate fully in the life of our community. 

4. We will center, elevate and defer to voices of People of Color and support the economic advancement of Communities of Color by using our collective purchasing power to support locally owned Black, Latino, and immigrant businesses. 

We are fallible humans acting in the name of humanity and cannot do this work alone. Please join us as we work together to create equity, shape and change our community and our country’s course. 

 

                                                                 The Worcester Together Coalition as signed by:

 Action! by Design  Mission E4 
Alex M. Mooradian, Esq.  Michael Sleeper, Imperial Distributors 
Ascentria Care Alliance  Naomi Sleeper, Imperial Distributors 
Billy Fitzpatrick, College of the Holy Cross, 2020  National Grid 
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor  Open Sky Community Services 
Boys & Girls Club of Worcester  Organization for Nonprofit Excellence (ONE Worcester) 
Central Mass Housing Alliance  Pernet Family Health Service 
CENTRO  Project New Hope Inc. 
Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester  Quinsigamond Community College 
Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc.  Regional Environmental Council of Central MA 
Coghlin Network Services, Inc.  Senator Ed Markey 
Community Health Link  Senator Harriette L. Chandler 
Congressman Jim McGovern  Seven Hills Foundation & Affiliates 
Department of Children and Families, Worcester East  Southeast Asian Coalition 
Department of Youth Service, Central Region  State Representative James O’Day 
Dress for Success Worcester  State Representative John J. Mahoney 
Ed Augustus, City Manager, Worcester  Straight Ahead Ministries 
Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center  The Clemente Course in the Humanities, Worcester 
Edward Street Child Services  The Guild of St. Agnes 
Emma Davison, College of the Holy Cross, 2021  The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts 
Face Mask Working Group – Mutual Aid Worcester  Journey Community Church, Revs. Tom Sparling, Paul Joyal, Lou Soiles 
Friendly House  Together for Kids Coalition 
Gina Plata-Nino, Esq.  UMass Memorial Health Care 
Greater Worcester Community Foundation  United Way of Central Massachusetts 
Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester  University of Massachusetts Medical School 
HOPE Coalition  University of Massachusetts Medical School 
Imperial Distributors  Worcester Chamber Music Society/Neighborhood Strings 
Jeremiah’s Inn  Worcester Community Action Council 
Joe Ertle, College of the Holy Cross  Worcester Cultural Coalition 
Kimberly Salmon, Worcester Resident  Worcester Education Collaborative 
Latino Education Institute  Worcester Family Partnership 
Legendary Legacies Inc  Worcester Housing Authority 
Living In Freedom Together-LIFT  Worcester Interfaith 
Love Your Labels  Worcester Public Schools 
Main South Community Development Corporation  Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce 
Mark Richman, Professor, WPI  Worcester State University 
MassHIRE,Worcester and Southbridge Career Centers  Worcester Telegram and Gazette 
Mayor Joseph M. Petty  YMCA of Central Massachusetts 
YWCA Central Massachusetts