It is difficult right now to stay focused on “hope,” while we mourn the loss of George Floyd and countless others murdered by police brutality and the corrupt system that enables such racial violence.
Some have suggested this is a post-racial world: that we each have the same opportunities, that ethnicity has no bearing on one’s treatment under the law. The fact is, that is not the experience for tens of millions of Americans. It is well past time to listen to the voices of those who have been silenced.
We see the continuing pain of racial injustice across the generations, and we stand together in solidarity with those crying out, pleading for the most basic possible dignity of respect for human life. We see those working diligently to right the wrongs that unjustly judge, incarcerate, smother, and oppress. It takes upstanders in every group to stop abuse, to improve the culture, to build a compassionate world for us all. And we are proud in this moment to stand behind and right alongside every single individual — black, brown, and ally — who is working for real solutions to these real problems. We also share in the fear, the frustration, the shock, the dismay, and the hope that somehow remains. Our mission has never been more urgent: together, we must educate against hate.
ABOUT THE ANNE FRANK CENTER USA
The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect preserves the legacy of the young diarist through education and arts programming. We work to create the kinder and fairer world of which Anne Frank dreamed.
