There have been innumerable instances of racial injustice and inequality in our country’s history, but the murder of George Floyd pushed us to a point of no return. Floyd’s murder led to mass protests on a global scale, racial reckonings that brought Confederate monuments crumbling to the ground, and statements of solidarity from usually silent corporations.
At Family Promise, Floyd’s murder forced us to re-examine our service to families experiencing homelessness. We knew well before May 25, 2020, that Black Americans make up nearly half the U.S. homeless population and a majority of the families we serve. We also knew those statistics were not a coincidence, but rather the result of institutional racism and practices like redlining. Those two facts alone should have forced us to ask: are we an anti-racist organization? Today, we ask ourselves that question every day and actively work to ensure the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’
The verdict in the Derek Chauvin Murder Trial will not spark immediate reform to the status quo that enabled Floyd’s murder in the first place. The necessary reform will entail decades of work and collaboration from countless organizations, communities, and individuals. At Family Promise, we will continue to address the racism that robs too many children of their housing, their opportunities, and their futures.