In the face of the recent killing of George Floyd and so many persons of color before him, we cannot carry on with “business as usual”. It is up to each of us, and all of us together, to express our solidarity and our support for the eradication of systemic racism.
Silence communicates acquiescence. We will not be silent. We will raise our voices to challenge the denial of human rights and basic decency. Our nation is in crisis and out of this crisis comes the imperative for structural change. We must work to significantly change our systems, institutions, and attitudes. As a community, we insist on the positive changes sought by the “Black Lives Matter” movement. It is simply not enough to make statements. NAMI Eastside board members and staff commit to educating ourselves more about systemic racism. As we learn, we will take an ongoing inventory of our mental health programs and communication systems in order to identify and eliminate racism and bias within our organization.

You are not alone. Black Lives Matter.

In solidarity,

NAMI Eastside Board of Directors and Staff