Dear Beloved Community,
On Monday, May 25, George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin. The former Minneapolis Police Officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck and within nine minutes he no longer had a pulse.
Over the past week, I have received countless calls, text messages, and emails from donors, friends, and family members to check in on my family, my team, and me. The reality is that I am fine. Well, not fine. I am numb. But I am safe. Every time someone tells me that they are keeping me in their thoughts and prayers, I want to respond, “Pray for our state and our country. Show up for Black people. Take action.”
At Headwaters, we believe in transforming power and trusting in community. A community knows itself best, and its people need to lead the way to solving its most pressing issues. As a social justice foundation, racial justice is at the core of our work. We do our best to center Black Liberation and Native Sovereignty—not to the exclusion of other communities but to advance our collective liberation. The history of this country and of the state of Minnesota is a violent one based off of the dehumanization of Black and Indigenous people, the commodification and disposability of their bodies, and the theft and destruction of the land, air, and water. The ripple effects of this historical trauma can be seen today in the lived experiences of Black and Brown people, immigrants and refugees, LGBTQIA people, people with disabilities, and low-income and poor people.
I believe that we all have a role to play. That is why Headwaters is launching The Transformation Fund. The fund will make grants to grassroots organizations that are providing protesters and community members with immediate needs and to groups that are demanding change and holding law enforcement and elected officials accountable. We are committed to addressing the ongoing culture of violence and white supremacy in our society’s systems and institutions. We invite individual donors and philanthropic institutions to make a bold and powerful financial investment in this work.
In the coming days we will release information about Headwaters plans to use the dollars we raise to make grants to community-based organizations.
In order to get this new fund off the ground, I need you. If you know me, then you know that I am about making big, bold asks. I believe that together we can pool our financial resources to transform society. Whether you make a gift to support The Transformation Fund or give directly to a local grassroots organization, you are making a difference.
As always, we also encourage people to make financial gifts to groups organizing for racial justice. Here are a few organizations that we suggest:
If you are like me, then I know you are feeling stretched and exhausted by the global pandemic. But Headwaters’ community is a resilient and powerful one—we have shown up time and again to stand up, speak out, and take action. We can do it again. Make no mistake that COVID-19 and the deadly assault on Black lives are interconnected issues. Black people are dying at three times the rate of white people in the United States. The systems meant to protect and care for people—law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and healthcare—are, in fact, failing the most marginalized in our country. What we are witnessing are not only the ways that society let’s people fall through the cracks. We are witnessing how society pushes people over a cliff with utter disregard for their humanity. We can do better. We must do better.
#Justice4George #sayhisname #nojusticenopeace
With love and solidarity,
Maria
