{"id":4663,"date":"2020-06-10T07:39:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T07:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galeo.org\/2020\/06\/somos-for-black-lives\/"},"modified":"2023-02-09T19:35:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T19:35:50","slug":"somos-for-black-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/galeo.org\/es\/2020\/06\/somos-for-black-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"SOMOS FOR BLACK LIVES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Somos For Black Lives <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>The heartbeat of racism is denial. The heartbeat of anti-racism is confession.\u201d \u2013 Ibram X. Kendi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days after George Floyd\u2019s murder by Minneapolis police, we have seen thousands of people protest in the streets across the country demanding change. These protests are a result of the inhumane and unjust systems that have wreaked havoc on Black communities for generations, and leadership that has failed to hold police accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s actions come in the middle of a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted the health and economic well being of millions of Black and Latino people, who are dying at two times the rate of the rest of the  population. It will take decades for our communities to recover from the destabilization. This moment should serve as yet another wake up call to the insidiousness of anti-Blackness built into the fabric of our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we are here to say unequivocally that Black Lives Matter! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We commit to stand alongside the Black community and fight for justice with them.  We demand deep structural reform to address the problem of police violence  and police accountability, racial inequality, and opportunity gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we must hold the President and other leaders accountable, we must ask ourselves how we contribute to the exacerbation of racism and colorism in this country. Our collective inaction and silence is contributing to the lynchings of Michael Brown, Pamela Turner, Laquan McDonald, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Atatiana Jefferson, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin. Add to that list many Latinos who have also been killed at the hands of the state: Reefa Hernandez, Antonio Arce, Francisco Serna, Anthony Baez, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, Jessica Hernandez, David Silva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have failed to grapple with anti-Blackness that exists in our own community.  <\/strong> As Latinx, we are descendants of many countries.  According to the Pew Research Center<\/a>, one quarter of US Latinos identify as Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean or of African descent with roots in Latin America.  Many in our community benefit from the privilege or illusion of proximity to whiteness,without acknowledging the depth of our own African diaspora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have been raised in families who refer to Blackness in the diminutive (morenita, negrita, prietita<\/em>). We have remained silent when our tias<\/em> have encouraged us to partner with people who have lighter skin than us so we can mejorar la raza<\/em>. We have hated ourselves for our skin color, hair texture, our curves and our accents. Our faith traditions, the schools we attend, the families we love, the music we listen to are anchored in Blackness and our indigenous roots but we obscure that with whiteness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racism has influenced our own American experience. Our country was founded on stolen Native American land and the stolen labor of the enslaved. Generations of injustices have left us with prison systems that disproportionately cage and dehumanize Black and brown people; systems, laws, and socially expected behaviors that reinforce this basic idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Latinx, we have experienced America\u2019s hate when our children have been put in cages and our families are ripped out of our lives and deported. Hate is the reason that our immigrant family members are deemed as COVID-19 \u2018essential\u2019 but not noticed as \u2018heroes.\u2019 We felt it in the shameful response to disasters in Puerto Rico. Last week, we saw on live television when Omar Jimenez, an Afro-Latino CNN reporter was arrested while doing his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The path to healing starts with acknowledgement. Next must come action. We, the undersigned, are announcing the following commitments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n