Racism exists. White supremacy exists. Police brutality exists. Violence and systemic discrimination against the Black community exists. We cannot pretend these do not exist or make excuses to suggest that recent incidents are exceptions. George Floyd was murdered. Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. Too many Black people have been murdered and oppressed and we still have not yet learned. Our society has failed the Black community. We need to own up to our mistakes, and we must work to eradicate racism in all forms. Our union stands with the Black community. Our union proudly supports our members who are Black. We stand together against racism in all forms. We will listen. We will learn. We will use our voice and our privilege to build solidarity with those with less privilege to make a difference. We must do better.

#BlackLivesMatter