Friend,

Last week, a police officer in Minnesota, assisted by three other officers, killed George Floyd. These police officers had sworn to protect citizens; instead, they ignored George Floyd’s pleas for help as they suffocated him on the ground.

This was not an isolated incident.

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Countless other Black Americans. The number of unarmed Black Americans who are killed because of the color of their skin continues to grow.

We cannot sit back and allow that to continue -- because Black Lives Matter.

Until everyone can walk down the street, visit the park, and carry out the normal activities of daily life without fear of being targeted or subjected to excessive force because of the color of their skin, we cannot say that we are the land of the free.

As an elected official, and as a distraught citizen, I am committed to supporting our Black communities and finding solutions. If you, like me, want to take action to be a part of the solution, the below organizations are doing work at the local and national level to effect change:

• Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley: http://promiseneighborhoodslv.org
• The Loveland Foundation: https://thelovelandfoundation.org
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/about-us
• Official George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

We cannot turn a blind eye to this systemic problem. So long as Black Americans must walk the streets in fear of those very officials who are supposed to protect them, we are far from being a perfect Union. I will not rest until we see justice for George Floyd, and liberation from the fear that permeates Black communities. I hope you will join me in this effort.

In solidarity,
Susan