The Children’s Defense Fund stands with our colleagues in Minneapolis, the children and families of Minnesota, and with communities of color across the country. Below is our statement on recent tragic events from Bharti Wahi, Executive Director of Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota.

Dear partners and friends,

We stand in solidarity with our community today. The horrific killing of George Floyd at the hands of members of the Minneapolis Police Department is a shocking and painful reminder of how systems are often designed to hurt Black and brown people. The violence and destruction in our cities is a loud cry of visceral pain, anger, and fear. So many small businesses and nonprofits, many owned or led by people of color and indigenous people, have been impacted. We acknowledge that today’s fear and trauma is layered on hundreds of years of historic and acute trauma that Black and brown communities have endured.

Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota stands with children, youth, families, and community members to demand a better way. We stand with our Black and brown children, young people, and families to dismantle systems designed to uphold violence, injustice, and inequities. We are here to listen, to support, and to fight for justice.

We are honored to work alongside our partners in the community to ensure we have systems and supports so Black and brown children in Minnesota and across the country have what they deserve—so we can truly realize our vision of a nation in which all children and youth thrive.

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