Friend –

Donald Trump's impeachment trial begins today for the part he played in encouraging violent white supremacists to storm the Capitol.

But we know too well that the stain of American racism started long before Trump's presidency or the hateful movement it empowered.

Institutional racism has been a part of our history since inception – from the original sin of slavery, displacement, and dehumanization, to Jim Crow and centuries of state-sponsored discrimination against Black and Indigenous people. And still today, Black and Indigenous people endure violence and death at the hands of police, while disproportionately bearing the economic, financial, and community burdens of COVID-19. It's past time for it all to end.

That is why, today, the ACLU is launching its Systemic Equality agenda – a multi-year racial justice agenda, building off our past century of work and seeking to address America's legacy of racism and systemic discrimination. You can be a part of this urgent work now: Learn more today.

Racism was, and remains, at the center of our country's systems of education, health care, ownership, employment, and virtually every other facet of life. Simply taking racist policies off the books is not going to be enough to achieve true justice for our Black and Indigenous communities of color.

Our Systemic Equality agenda is holistic and includes specific demands of our nation's leadership. In 2021 alone, we will be pushing the Biden administration and Congress to take action on issues like protecting and expanding voting rights, student loan debt cancellation, fair housing, reparations, and many more.

And that is only the beginning, ACLU Supporter. In the weeks ahead, we'll be expanding on our views of why these campaigns are crucial to systemic equality and signaling the path this country must take.

So please, take a moment to find out more about this crucial racial justice agenda today – and we look forward to having you in the fight ahead.

Thank you,

ReNika Moore
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Director, Racial Justice Program, ACLU

Rakim Brooks
Pronouns: He, him, his
Senior Campaign Strategist, Systemic Equality Project Manager, ACLU