There's a pandemic in our nation, but I'm not speaking of COVID. I'm speaking of racism.

Racism has been a plague in our country since its inception. And for too long, too many of us have shirked our responsibility to stand up and speak out about the stain of systemic racism on our country. For real reform to take place, we must address the very system that enables racist bias to occur. The same institutions that are the foundation of our country and our lives are where the greatest disparities exist – education, health care, housing, and yes, our systems of justice. These are undeniable truths.

Systemic racism is also what is occurring as black and brown people succumb in disproportionate numbers to COVID-19 and to its consequences. Black and brown people are being diagnosed with this deadly virus and are dying at much higher rates. They are also more likely to be on the front lines working on our behalf while many of us shelter in place. And they are more likely to have become unemployed as a consequence of the pandemic.

It is our responsibility to identify where improvement must be made to hold those responsible for pain, suffering, and the deaths of so many accountable. It is our duty to respond to those who have called for help in vain and not to forget their names. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor. These are the names and the lives lost that are most recently on our minds, carried on signs, drawn on masks, and in the headlines. But there have been so many more before them who have called out and been unassisted and unheard. It is our moral obligation to provide oxygen for those who have cried out in anguished voices, "I can't breathe."

In a pandemic, as we have seen, silence is deadly. Denial is deadly. Lives are at stake, and they matter. Our communities aren't safe when people's lives are at risk due to the color of their skin. We have the capacity and responsibility to do better as a country. Our collective humanity depends on the change we create together.

There is work to be done.

In solidarity,
Chrissy

P.S. To learn more about the steps I’m taking to address systemic racism in our commonwealth and our country, click here.