Dear Community,　

Somewhere in Minneapolis right now, a group of jurors is about to announce their verdict in the Chauvin trial. Armed National Guard troops and local law enforcement, coordinated under　Operation Safety Net, occupy our neighborhoods where the community should be free to grieve, mourn, and be together. Here is what Headwaters knows and what we are doing:　

We know that George Floyd is beloved, precious, and should be alive. We know the community is likewise beloved and righteous in our anger. Pathways to liberation and justice have always come from the people and from movement. And HFJ is here to do the long-term work of supporting movements that center the sanctity of Black life, joy, and liberation.　

For us, that long-term work involves bringing together dozens of community volunteer grantmakers,　who – with brilliance and clarity – guide us in investing in visionary BIPOC organizing through Giving Project Grants and The Transformation Fund grants. It includes listening to lifting up calls to resource the folks on the front lines,including people on the ground in Brooklyn Center. It involves standing shoulder-to-shoulder with community through crisis and grief, as we struggle towards a future where we can have true justice.

Regardless of the verdict handed down today, we know there will be no justice for George Floyd. It will be our people and our movements that will get us there and will get us free. We stand, both this afternoon and moving forward toward freedom, in commitment, gratitude, and solidarity with our community.

With great care, from all of us at Headwaters