Dear John,

Today, in Delaware and across our country, our neighbors, family members, and friends are speaking out for justice. Justice for George Floyd. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Justice for Breonna Taylor. Justice for African Americans who have been denied justice for 400 years.

Over these past two weeks, since the murder of George Floyd, I've been thinking about my friend, Bryan Stevenson, a Milton, Delaware native, the author of Just Mercy, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.

Bryan spoke to the entire Senate Democratic caucus yesterday and told us that "the presumption that people of color are guilty and dangerous is a legacy of our history that we must confront and address."

I thought about the centuries-old history of American racism this week in Washington as I worked in the Senate on a whole range of issues, from our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to the treatment of men and women - disproportionately people of color - in our jails and prisons, because systemic racism impacts every single issue in this country. It is so ingrained in our institutions and our culture that it impacts every part of American life.

In addition to speaking out against police brutality, we can finally make real investments in schools that serve children of color, ensure that our economic policies (including our response to the COVID-19 pandemic) support families of color and Black- and Brown-owned businesses, and so much more.

We have so much work to do, and it's on all of us - every single one of us - to finally change this country. Let's all commit right now to doing our part to make real the promise of liberty and justice for all.

Thank you,

Chris

P.S. If you are able, please consider contributing to the Equal Justice Initiative, which works to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect the basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

[link removed]


Contributions or gifts to the Chris Coons for Delaware are not tax deductible.


Paid for by the Chris Coons for Delaware

[link removed]