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EBN Pushes for Black Justice

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June 2020

By Doug Dickson

Posted: 2020-06-20T18:52:00Z

This statement was originally posted on June 7.

Encore Boston Network, like the rest of the nation, is saddened and angered by the recent tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the litany of other victims’ names spoken and unspoken. Racism and racial violence have existed for far too long in this country and it is unacceptable. We acknowledge the grief, the pain, the exhaustion, and the ongoing traumas of racial violence and oppression felt in the Black community and among people of Color, and stand with them in solidarity.

Many of us were raised during the Civil Rights era and it can be discouraging to feel that not much has changed for people of Color in the last 50 years. EBN helps people over 50 find purpose and meaning in their lives through volunteer or paid work for social good. In doing this work, we connect with diverse communities throughout Greater Boston and we are outraged by the unrelenting impact of inequality in the Black community.

One way to honor the memory of Black lives lost is to help support and engage in the movement for change. Change is needed in every sector of our society, not just law enforcement and criminal justice, but in healthcare, education, the labor market, housing, and all the other places where inequality persists. We must hold all institutions with racial disparities and that benefit from White privilege accountable when we talk about Black Lives Matter, including our own.

This will not be easy -- it will take a lot of work. But we believe that opening up the conversation and taking action now to make a difference is crucial. And we believe it falls to all of us, young and old, to join forces and fight for change.

EBN will host a Conversation on Racial Equality and Equity on Thursday, June 18. Please join us as we learn more about the issues and identify actions each of us can take to support racial equality and equity. We don’t need to be experts to respond and take action. We can learn from each other. Conversation is a place to start.

Doug Dickson, Board Chair
Mary Gunn, Encore Community Program Director
   for the Encore Boston Network Board of Directors

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