The Rising Majority is a Black and people of color led coalition committed to opposing the ravages of racial capitalism, settler colonialism, white supremacy and patriarchy. As Dr. King proclaimed so many years ago, “We need a radical revolution of values” in this country. Nothing could illustrate this point more clearly than the dual crises we face right now: the Coronavirus pandemic and its disproportionate impact on communities of color, as well as the continuing police, vigilante and state violence targeting Black and Brown communities. 

The horrific murders of George Floyd, Nina Pop, Breonna Taylor, Tony Mc Dade, Ahmaud Arbery, and Dreasjon Reed are reprehensible and indefensible. We send our heartfelt condolences to their families. They will not be forgotten. Their tragedies have translated to our call to action.

We share the community’s powerful and uncompromising call for justice– immediate and long- term changes. 

We understand the current threats against Black lives as a direct outcome of the interconnected web of white supremacy, racial capitalism, and state sanctioned terrorism. The structural racism that led to their deaths also undergirds the deaths of more than 100,000 people from the Coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. 

There are now nearly 40 million people unemployed and millions more who are in vulnerable, essential jobs without access to healthcare, forced to work while sick and live in crowded conditions (including prisons and detention centers). These workers who are disproportionately Black, indigenous and people of color were in economic distress well before the Coronavirus pandemic appeared. The Navajo Nation was hit particularly hard and received minimal help, as have poor urban Black and Latinx communities. Those languishing and dying in prisons, jails and immigration detention must be released now. 

Instead of prioritizing the people in the midst of COVID-19, the federal government opted to invest ​$850 million via the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant Program in the stimulus packages specifically for “public safety agencies”. ​We see a direct link between increased police budgets and the terror on our communities. 

We will not be silent, quiet or isolated. We will protest safely but fiercely. We support ongoing protests and those called by the Movement for Black Lives in solidarity with the on the ground organizers in key cities. We stand beside protestors and the Movement For Black Lives to demand divestment from police, ICE, and the military, and investment in community health, wellness, and control. 

Now is the time for action among those who believe in freedom. We urge you to join the Movement For Black Lives to Defend Black Lives during their week of action June 1st to June 5th. We invite you to take action in your homes, in the streets, and on the airwaves. 

For more information about the local to national fight, go directly to ​www.m4bl.org​.

 Join The Movement For Black Lives and The Rising Majority for a national call to action on Saturday June 6th at 10amPT/12pmCT/1pmET. ​Register here​ or at bit.ly/time2defendblacklives