On Tuesday, February 27th NAACP Santa Cruz President received a proclamation on behalf of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.
We are excited to announce that the Mayor and Santa Cruz City Council have officially recognized February as Black History Month. In acknowledgment of this significant occasion, the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch has been presented with a proclamation for its outstanding work and unwavering commitment to everything the NAACP represents.
The proclamation celebrates the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch's dedication to promoting equality, justice, and civil rights in our community and beyond. Through its tireless efforts, the NAACP continues to advocate for positive change, foster understanding, and uphold the principles of equality and inclusion for all.
As we reflect on the profound contributions of Black Americans throughout history, let us also reaffirm our commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive society for future generations. May we continue to stand together in solidarity as we strive for a better tomorrow. Elaine Johnson is the president of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.
President Elaine Johnson with proclamation
Senator John Laird
Presented the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch with a special award of recognition for our relentless commitment to the ongoing pursuit of justice, equality, and civil rights for all in Santa Cruz County.
Our steadfast advocacy to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights is admirable and sincerely appreciated.
–Senator John Laird
SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz’s annual March for the Dream is the type of event where, instead of onlookers, there are participants.
UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of African History David H. Anthony III offers a moment of reflection and intention during Monday’s MLK program. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
More than 700 community members marched Monday down Pacific Avenue and back to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in a tribute to the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., commemorated as both a holiday and national day of service. Some 30 different groups, organized by 30 volunteers, waved banners, chanted, chatted with friends new and old and led sing-alongs on a mild and sunny January morning. Later, during a commemorative program, at least 200 people filed into the Civic to hear from those such as state Sen. John Laird and keynote speaker First Vice President of NAACP Monterey County Vanessa Lopez-Littleton.
“This speech today is not about the pain and the suffering,” Lopez-Littleton said. “This is about progress and this is about the future.”
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NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch President Elaine Johnson (center) leads the half-mile march down Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. The march commemorated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. who gave his “I Have a Dream Speech” at the March on Washington almost 60 years ago. (PK Hattis – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
By Aric Sleeper | asleeper@santacruzsentinel.com
PUBLISHED: January 2, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. | UPDATED: January 2, 2024 at 4:01 p.m.
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Branch of the NAACP announced events planned later this month to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of iconic civil rights activist the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration begins with a Youth Day event Jan. 13 and a MLK March for the Dream and commemorative event Jan. 15 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Santa Cruz County NAACP invites all organizations and people who support the dream of King to march in downtown Santa Cruz on what would have been the civil rights icon’s 95th birthday.
The Youth Day event will celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, who was passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, with an afternoon of activities for kids of all ages that emphasize youth empowerment, and will include interactive booths and tabling from local youth groups, food, music, dancing and art activities.
The event is free to attend and is meant to serve as an opportunity for student leaders and organizations from local schools to inform the community about their missions and accomplishments in regard to student activism.
The “March for the Dream” event will begin at Pacific Avenue and Cathcart Street at 10 a.m. Jan. 15. March participants will make their way through downtown Santa Cruz and will end the commemorative walk from 11 a.m. to noon at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium where a speaking event will be held.
Speakers at the auditorium will include NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch President Elaine Johnson, Sen. John Laird, First Vice President of NAACP Monterey County Vanessa Lopez-Littleton and Temple Beth El’s Rabbi Paula Marcus. Volunteers are needed for the event.
Supporting the march are local organizations such as Temple Beth El Jewish Community Center, the Resource Center for Nonviolence, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Treehouse Foundation, the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
Last year’s March for the Dream event was postponed due to the succession of winter storms last January, but was attended in February last year by hundreds that marched down Pacific Avenue last February to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., whose “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered just more than 60 years ago.
For information about the Youth Day event, contact Amanda Harris Altice with the Resource Center for Nonviolence at amanda@rcnv.org.
For those interested in volunteering, sponsoring or having a group participate for the 2024 March for the Dream event, visit naacpsantacruz.com.
If you go…
What: “Youth Day”
When: Noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 13.
Where: Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz.
Cost: Free.
What: MLK March for the Dream and Commemorative Event
When: 10 a.m. to noon. Jan. 15.
Where: Begins at Pacific Avenue and Cathcart Street.
Cost: Free.
Published: Oct 01, 2023
A trusted adviser to Vice President Harris and leader of the nation’s largest organization dedicated to electing women, Butler will make history as California’s first openly LGBTQ United States Senator and the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the selection of Laphonza Butler — the President of the nation’s largest organization dedicated to electing women, EMILY’s List — to complete the United States Senate term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, which runs through 2024.
Butler, a longtime senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, labor leader, and advocate for women and working people, will be the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate. She will also be the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history and the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate following Vice President Kamala Harris.
“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” said Governor Newsom. “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”
Butler comes from a working-class family. Her father — a small-business owner — was diagnosed with a terminal illness and died when Butler was 16 years old. Her mother was the household’s sole provider, working as a classroom aide, a home care provider, a security guard, and a bookkeeper to provide for Butler and her two siblings.
With her selection to the Senate, Butler will step down from her role as president of EMILY’s List, where she was the first woman of color and mother to lead the organization. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Butler ran political campaigns and led strategy efforts for numerous companies, organizations, and elected leaders — including for Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Butler was a key leader of Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign. For more than a decade, she served as the president of the largest labor union in California — SEIU Local 2015 — a union representing more than 325,000 nursing home and home-care workers throughout the state.
Previously, Butler served as President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) and also as SEIU’s Property Services Division Director, in which she was responsible for the strategic direction of organizing on behalf of more than 250,000 janitors, security officers, window cleaners, and food service workers across the country. Butler also served as an SEIU International Vice President and president of the SEIU California State Council.
Butler was the former director of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve System. In 2018, she was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents by Governor Jerry Brown, where she served until 2021. She served in various other roles, including as a board member for the National Children’s Defense Fund, BLACK PAC, and the Bay Area Economic Council Institute, and as a fellow for the MIT Community Innovators Lab.
Butler was named a “Champion for Change” by President Barack Obama.
Butler received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Jackson State University. Butler is married to her wife, Neneki, and together they have a daughter, Nylah.
Read Original Article Here
The new date for the 2023 MLK March for the Dream will be Monday, February 20th at 10am.
We will be meeting at Cathcart and Pacific, march downtown on Pacific then over to the Civic Auditorium where we will have our post march commemorative event that includes some amazing speakers from our Santa Cruz community.
We want to thank our march co-organizers the Resource Center for Nonviolence and Temple Beth El. We also received support from John Lewis College of UC Santa Cruz as a March Supporter and Housing Santa Cruz County, and the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee , and the Women’s Democratic Club as Friends of the march. If you wish to help sponsor the march please email us at santacruznaacp@gmail.com or you may make a donation to the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.
Volunteers are needed to put on the march. Click here to register.
If your group would like to march please click here to register.
Individuals do not need to register that wish to march.
On behalf of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch, we send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tyre Nichols. May they know that the people of Santa Cruz County stand with them during this most difficult time.
Too many families have suffered the loss of loved ones at the hands of law enforcement officers who do not uphold the oath that they take to protect and serve. We know this will continue if law enforcement agencies don’t have brave and courageous leaders who are willing to hold their staff accountable to teat each and every citizen with respect while adhering to appropriate policing protocols.
No person because of their race, gender or identity should be subjected to differential treatment by law enforcement. No parents, family members, or friends should have to mourn the loss of loved ones because of illegal law enforcement practices.
While the bad apples do not represent law enforcement as a whole, if accountability is not held, how will we know the difference? And how can we be called upon to support law enforcement if we can’t tell the difference between the good and the bad? We do not want to see this happen in Santa Cruz County much less anywhere else again.
To our local law enforcement leaders, we support you to center equity and ensure every person receives equal protection and equitable resources from our law enforcement officers and that your agencies are a model for others to follow.
Tyre, we will speak your name over and over. We will stand with your family, your son, and your community in peace and solidarity.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “the time is always right to do what is right.”
Sincerely,
Elaine Johnson
President of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch
The members of the NAACP Santa Cruz County extend our heartfelt condolences to the family members and the community of Buffalo, New York, who lost loved ones in the violent and racist attack on May 14, 2022.
As NAACP President Derrick Johnson recently said, “America cannot be a fair and equal democracy until we root out the threat of white supremacy and the racist violence that terrorizes communities across our nation.” Once again, we are left with profound grief and horror in response to a calculated attack of domestic terror by a white supremacist, an attack perpetuated to undermine the very fabric of our democracy.
There has been a terrible rise in racist hate crimes and corresponding blatant bigotry from television pundits and some politicians. Black Americans are the leading targets for hate crimes in our country, but we also continue to witness increases in anti-Semitic attacks, as well as violence against the Latino, Asian, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities. This violence has been spurred in part by social media, which provides easy access to hate speech and the encouragement to act on it. Our nation’s leaders must immediately address on-line racism and radicalization, or we will continue to experience these heinous and horrific attacks. White supremacy and democracy cannot coexist.
If we are to take this horrific violence seriously, we must stand up. We must ensure that all citizens in the United States have easy access to exercise their Constitutional right to the vote and are able to elect local, state, and national officials who will hear our voices as we decry the violent racism of white supremacy. No one is free until the rights and safety of all Americans are fully guaranteed, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion.
In his recent visit to Buffalo, President Biden said, "Any act of domestic terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the name of a repugnant white nationalist ideology, is antithetical to everything we stand for in America. Hate must have no safe harbor. We must do everything in our power to end hate-fueled domestic terrorism.”
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 350, the Democratic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 with a vote mostly along party lines. We need bipartisan support to end racist terror in America. Instead, we see Republicans make excuses, protect white supremacist idealogues, and institutionalize barriers to voting.
In an interview after the attack, Reverend George Nicholas of the United Methodist Church in Buffalo challenged Americans to, “Care! Be courageous! Take an honest reckoning of history and make an earnest commitment to creating the Beloved Community.”
We must address the quality-of-life factors for many Black citizens in communities across America to ensure that people live in neighborhoods that are free of environmental hazards, have easy access to elections, good medical care, healthy food and clean water, and that young people feel safe in attending schools and colleges without fear of violence or discrimination.
White supremacy and its virulent ideology can rightfully cause anger, hatred, fear, and cynicism that nothing will ever change in America. We cannot allow hate to win. In a democracy, we must work together for the common good. We must stand up and protect each other. We must vote to ensure that our elected officials share our democratic principles. And we must encourage our young people to participate in local, state, and national politics.
The Black community of Santa Cruz has been in existence for as long as the town itself. We, the members of the NAACP Santa Cruz County, desire to co-exist with our neighbors to build meaningful alliances that will strengthen our democracy both locally and nationally, and to stand up against all forms of destructive and debilitating hate, and to realize NAACP’s vision of an inclusive community rooted in liberation where all persons can exercise their civil and human rights without discrimination.
A live, in-person performace presented by the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) and Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center (CADRC) at UC Santa Cruz. Directed by Don Williams.
Set in a West Indian hair salon in Toronto, ’da Kink in My Hair introduces us to a group of women who tell us their unforgettable, moving, and often hilarious stories. Mixing laughter and tears—and told in words, music, and dance—the stories explore the hardship, struggles, and joys of their lives.
Author Trey Anthony in person!
Join us after the Saturday February 26th performance for a very special Q&A with ‘da Kink in My Hair author Trey Anthony!
Please join us for the 38th annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Convocation featuring Ruha Benjamin
Ruha Benjamin is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier as well as Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, which examines the relationship between machine bias and systemic racism, analyzing specific cases of “discriminatory design” and offering tools for a socially-conscious approach to tech development. Race After Technology was awarded Brooklyn Public Library’s 2020 Nonfiction Prize.
She has studied the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine for over fifteen years and speaks widely on issues of innovation, equity, health, and justice in the U.S. and globally. Ruha is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the 2017 President's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton. Her work is published in numerous journals, including Science, Technology, and Human Values; Policy & Society; Ethnicity & Health; and the Annals of the American Academy of Social and Political Science and reported on in national and international news outlets.
Her next book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, releasing in 2022 was born out of the twin plagues of COVID-19 and police violence—a double crisis that has since created a portal for rethinking all that we’ve taken for granted about the social order and life on this planet.
It is with profound regret that we acknowledge the passing of Reverend Darrell Darling, our long-time friend, fellow Executive Committee member of the NAACP, and civil rights activist. His stalwart, kind, and intelligent presence has provided unwavering support and direction in helping to build a Beloved Community in Santa Cruz.
Rev. Darling passed away in his home very peacefully surrounded by his family on the morning of February 3, 2022. He is survived by his wife Karen Darling; daughter Denise Wyldbore and son-in law, James Campbell; son, Robert Wilson; granddaughter Kylie and her husband Gabriel. He is preceded in death by his beloved sons, Matthew and Adam.
Rev. Darling graduated from Yale Divinity School in the 1960s and was later ordained in the Illinois United Methodist Conference. In his role as a community minister Rev. Darrell Darling, along with his whole family, answered Dr. King's call to the Selma, Alabama campaign for voting rights in 1965, joining in the historical Selma-Montgomery march. His pastoral service included: serving in churches in Illinois, New York, and Connecticut; starting churches in Pleasanton and Dublin, California; and pastoring at Davis United Methodist Church for seven years. Rev. Darling served the First United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz from 1978 to 1983.
After leaving the ministry, Darrell and Karen Darling operated the Darling House Bed and Breakfast on West Cliff Drive from 1984–2017. Darrell loved meeting and conversing about life and politics with guests. Darrell and Karen offered the Darling House in community ministry, hosting many fundraising events for justice-led political candidates and organizations. They also contributed to the work of RCNV by providing support and hospitality to guests involved in nonviolent struggles around the world. The Darling House supported the Santa Cruz Sister Cities program, and hosted the Alushta, Crimea mayor's delegation in 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck.
Rev. Darling was a lifetime member of the NAACP. He served on the Executive Committee for many years. He served on the board and steering committee of the Resource Center for Nonviolence. He served as Chair of the local Democratic Party Central Committee and supported the Palestine Justice Coalition. We will forever miss his physical presence and will seek to honor his memory by upholding the principles of love, nonviolence, peace and justice that he courageously emulated.
RUN: BOOK ONE
Monday, August 16th, at 4:00pm
Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell, who, along with the late Congressman John Lewis, are the creative team behind the #1 bestselling, award-winning graphic novel series March. They will discuss the first book in their new, groundbreaking series, Run: Book One. They will be joined by Anthony Dixon, Congressman Lewis' nephew. This event is cosponsored by NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.
“In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help build a more perfect Union here in America.
”
Public Statement from: Santa Cruz County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity, Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative, NAACP Santa Cruz County
Branch, Black Kings of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Equity Collab
To: Santa Cruz County District Attorney, Jeffrey S. Rosell, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, Anthony P. Condotti, City Attorney, Santa Cruz City Council members, and US Representative Jimmy Panetta.
Re: BLM Mural Destruction and Crime
On July, 24th, 2021, two men drove recklessly in a pickup truck at or about 7:50pm, intentionally defaced the Black Lives Matter mural that was commissioned by the City of Santa Cruz. This flagrant act of destruction, filmed by the two men, resulted in the spread of hate, fear, insult and divisiveness across social media, specifically targeted against the Black community. The Black Lives Matter mural, created on September 12, 2020 and repainted on June 20th, 2021, was initiated by the community, was voted on, and approved by the City of Santa Cruz. This heinous act of destruction and its provocation of fear and hatred must be viewed as an intentional and deliberate act against the Black community in Santa Cruz County. We, therefore, ask the District Attorney’s Office to prosecute the destruction of the Black Lives Matter mural as a hate crime and use the full capacity of the law to punish those who perpetrated the destruction.
As history shows, acts like this are often written off as innocent pranks with the perpetrators facing few substantial legal consequences. Charges are often reduced to misdemeanors or less. However, we, along with thousands of people in communities across the county, witnessed this act online and watched as it spread like wildfire across social media. It sparked vile, racist, and divisive commentary regarding not only the Black Lives Matter mural itself, but also the people who worked with the City of Santa Cruz to design and create it. These people’s safety could now be at risk, and Black residents could be targeted for expressing outrage and fear. These types of destructive, aggressive, and provocative acts serve only to heighten the social anxiety existing in the racially charged atmosphere of our country. The men who defaced the mural acted brazenly and intentionally, as evidenced by their filming the destruction of public property. This crime should not to be taken lightly, and the leaders and allies in the city of Santa Cruz and the county must act decisively to ensure that acts of hatred are confronted and prosecuted as such. Our community has to work diligently to look to our community allies and leaders who can assure us that this kind of directed act of hate is intolerable and has no place in our city, county, and country.
Therefore, we call on you, our elected leaders and fellow community members to take a stand against this flagrant and destructive act against both the Black citizens of Santa Cruz County and the commissioned public work and to stand in strong solidarity with the Black residents in our county and others who truly believe that Black lives do matter.
We ask that you join us in holding these individuals fully accountable for their actions and the dire and significant effects that those actions have on our community at large; especially our youth who ride their bikes and walk across the mural and have to see this as nothing less than an act against the value of their lives, their families, and community. We ask that you consider the mental health and psychological safety of Black community members who when they see this act and are reminded of the kind of racial terrorism that has existed in our country for over 400 years. These miscategorized small acts labeled as, “boys will be boys” leads to empowering others to believe that they too are above the law and their hatred can operate within it. What steps will you take to ensure that this case rises to the charge it deserves?
To this end we state that August 18, 2020 County adopted Resolution 176-2020, declaring racism as a public health crisis. As concerned leaders, parents, students, business owners, and citizens of Santa Cruz County wholeheartedly agree with Santa Cruz County’s adopted resolution. In this resolution, the County resolved to:
a. Incorporate educational efforts to address and dismantle racism, and expand understanding of racism and how racism affects individual and population health
b. Promote community engagement, actively engaging citizens on issues of racism, and providing tools to engage actively and authentically with communities of color and to dismantle systemic racism and protect the health and wellbeing of Black, Indigenous people of color (BIPOC)
c. Commit to review all portions of codified ordinances with a racial equity lens.
We call on you to act in good faith to the Black community of this county with this same commitment and dedication to our community that the organizers, artists, and Santa Cruz residents of all races, persuasions and backgrounds held to paint the BLM mural on the ground. As per the artist’s mission statement for the mural:
“My name is Abi Mustapha. I’m a Santa Cruz and Bay Area Artist. My intention for this
BLACK LIVES MATTER mural is a dramatic call to action, on the part of the City of
Santa Cruz’s government, organizations, businesses, and everyone involved throughout
every stage of this project. Anyone who partakes in this incredible work is also called to
the tremendously difficult, long-term act of deconstructing racism in our community and
in ourselves. This mural is more than a symbolic action. Every participant is called to
action.”
As we move forward, we call on you to:
Ensure that the perpetrators of the act of racially motivated violence against the Black community by vandalizing the BLM mural are charged with a hate crime.
Pursue the hiring of a police officer, sheriff and others dedicated to investigating and pursuing all racially motivated incidents and possible hate groups in Santa Cruz County. Create public safety protocols to ensure the safety of BIPOC community members in schools, community organizations, and all locations within our County.
Mandate race-awareness, anti-racist education in all schools/publicly funded educational institutions in Santa Cruz County, beginning in pre-school through adult education.
Identify candidates to fill a pipeline to ensure that we continue to have BIPOC elected officials at every level of government.
And finally, we ask for your commitment and support of our community at this time. We may be a smaller population of Santa Cruz residents, but this is our home and we believe that our safety and well being should be at the forefront of all actions hereafter to ensure that this is addressed in the manner that it deserves.
Thank you.
Signed,
Brenda J. Griffin, NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch
Cat Willis, Santa Cruz Black Health Matters Initiative
Thomas Sage Pedersen, Black Kings of Santa Cruz County
Abi Mustapha, SC Equity Collab Project
Joy Flynn, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity
Cheryl M. Williams, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity
Chris Davis, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity; Black Kings of Santa
Cruz County
On May 25, 2020 the horrific murder of George Floyd seared into the consciousness of millions of people in the United States and around the world the reality of police brutality, especially against Black men. Millions of people took to the streets in protest around the world, including Santa Cruz. His name has become a rallying cry for police accountability, reform, and justice. Mr. Floyd was not the first Black man to be killed by police in America. In fact, between the years 2017 and 2020, almost 700 African Americans, the majority of them unarmed, died at the hands of police. Not all lynchings are at the end of a rope. Not all people in blue uniforms intend to kill Black men by depriving them of oxygen, but on May 25, 2020, millions of people around the globe watched a ritual intended to subdue Black men into submission through the weight of physical brutality, a violence which has continued through centuries. Our work continues.
On April 20, 2021, former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter. He was held accountable for his heinous act of kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck depriving him of oxygen for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, killing Mr. Floyd. This verdict offers no consolation to the family and friends of Mr. Floyd. No family should lose a beloved son, brother, or father in the way that George Floyd's family lost him. We cannot rest until all in our community have the right to breathe. Our work continues.
While finding Derek Chauvin accountable was the expected outcome, we must seek justice. Justice means bringing an end to the criminalization of Black and Brown people in America by law enforcement. It means holding police departments accountable when they terrorize Black and Brown communities. The practice of police brutality is not only a civil rights issue, it is a human rights issue. Racism exhibited through police brutality is a mental health burden for Black people who are constantly forced to contemplate and negotiate what it means to survive. Beyond abject violence, it is the continual feeling of walking on egg-shells, the feeling of not being able to properly breathe, the necessity of teaching children what they must do in order to stay alive when they encounter police. We must legally ensure that the intention of every officer, voter, citizen, and human being is under review until not one more person is lynched: deprived of the breath of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Justice requires sweeping police reform legislation mandating a zero-tolerance approach in penalizing and/or prosecuting police officers who kill unarmed, nonviolent, and non-resisting individuals during an arrest. We need to end qualified immunity which protects government officials from lawsuits seeking monetary damages. We must change the “warrior” culture of law enforcement. We must create a national database of abusive, racist, violent and/or corrupt officers so that they cannot move from municipality to municipality to avoid prosecution. And we must get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed. Our work continues.
Since their earliest days in this country, African-Americans have turned pain and suffering into art, music—gospel, jazz, blues—poetry, spoken-word, dance. We will commemorate the anniversary of Mr. Floyd’s death in this way. Let us take our pain from losing George Floyd and allow it to continue to catalyze the force and the will to create something beautiful and powerful that propels our country forward into real change, reform, and lasting justice. Our work continues.
Santa Cruz, CA: April 20, 2021
The arc of the moral universe bent a little closer to justice today but there is still a long way to go. A badge is never a shield for accountability. This trial serves as a reminder of the urgent need to pass legislation to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities by preventing police brutality and allowing survivors and families of victims access to justice.
Countless victims like George Floyd, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor and now Daunte Wright have had their obituaries reopened, edited, rewritten, day after day. Our country has been relegated to no longer allowing the victim to rest in peace, but forcing their lives to be marred by public perception, criticism, and opinions as methods of rationalizing death as if our lives are expendable. Enough is Enough!
This verdict offers a measure of justice but no consolation to the family and friends of Mr. Floyd. The time is now to not only reform but completely rethink the U.S. system of law enforcement.
The NAACP will not rest and is well-positioned to continue our efforts to ensure the deaths of George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and countless others are not in vain but move us toward true and unadulterated justice for our community.
The NAACP demands
An end to the horrors of police brutality and a criminal justice system that properly holds law enforcement officials accountable.
An end to qualified immunity, which protects government officials from lawsuits seeking monetary damages.
Collect data on police encounters that will provide transparency and safety for our communities.