Friend,

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Sean Reed.

These are just a few of the Black people murdered in just the last month because of white supremacy and the pervasive anti-Blackness that permeates every aspect of our society. We mourn them and the countless other victims of state violence and racial terror whose names have not garnered national attention.

Black people have grown weary of this cycle of oppression, violence, and of being told to peacefully reform a system that is working exactly the way it was designed. We are tired of perpetual fear that we, or someone we love, will be next.

We have seen this before: Anti-Black violence occurs; leaders shake their heads and offer thoughts and prayers; we go to the streets to demand action and accountability but none occurs, only empty words. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric. The only way for us to win real liberation is to transform our systems by divesting from policing, investing in community-led solutions, and demanding that politicians take concrete legislative action at every level from the City Council to Congress.

Read our full statement on the uprisings in Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta and elsewhere around the country.

The CPD Network is rooted in the belief that through our collective action we can build a world where each and every person has the freedom to thrive. We know that when a new world emerges, it will be birthed by the struggle, labor and love of Black communities.  

This is why I am asking all those who believe in freedom to give directly to organizations that are fighting for our liberation on the frontlines right now: Black Visions Collective, Minnesota Freedom Fund, Northstar Health Collective, Reclaim the Block, Unicorn Riot, Just Georgia Coalition, and Louisville Community Bail Fund.

With love and rage,

Jennifer Epps-Addison
Network President & Co-Executive Director, CPD