We unveil our Black Lives Matter banner on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 2:30 pm. We will be joined by members of St. Paul AME Church in Pleasantville.

The UUCSJS Anti-Racism Task Force strives for justice, equity and compassion in human relations; has a goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; will not allow injustice to go unchallenged, particularly in light of recent tragic events involving police brutality and institutionalized racism that target the black community.

We acknowledge that people of all ages and races are killed by law enforcement, yet black people ages 20-24 are seven times more likely to be killed by law enforcement; mass incarceration is an urgent concern because 40% of black students are expelled from U.S. public schools; and one out of three black men is incarcerated during his lifetime.

We resolve to support the Black Lives Matter movement and Black-led racial justice organizations; to engage in intentional learning spaces to organize for racial justice with recognition of the interconnected nature of racism coupled with systems of oppression that impact people based on class, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and language; to work toward police reform and prison abolition (which seeks to replace the current prison system with a system that is more just and equitable); and to recognize that the fight for civil rights and equality is as real today as it was decades ago.

No matter who you are, black lives matter, and a system of fair, transformative, and restorative justice that is accountable to communities is something to which each of us has a right.

We exist to learn and educate, build connections, engage with others, respond to calls for action, stay committed to the Black Lives Matter movement, and ‘show up.’