JCRB|AJC joins Jewish communities across the nation in expressing our grief over the tragic death of George Floyd, who was murdered in broad daylight by police in Minneapolis. This death is yet another in a disturbingly long list of similar incidents and inexcusable injustices that have been perpetrated against African Americans across the United States. We stand in solidarity with the African American community, and call on people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and faiths to speak up now against the systemic racism that is a long-standing stain on our country, for which we all share responsibility.
We add our voices to those demanding that justice be served swiftly and surely. These incidents should never happen in a free and democratic society, and we are committed to working towards the vision of an America that honors the right of all people, regardless of the color of their skin, to live without fear.
JCRB|AJC also supports the right of people to peacefully protest in the fight for justice and we call on our partners in law enforcement to de-escalate without harm.
Finally, we call on our leaders to lead with compassion and respect, and to use their platforms to unite rather than divide our grieving nation.
In 2019, JCRB|AJC passed our official Policy on Racial Justice, which articulates our obligation to fight systemic racial injustice and inequity. Today and every day we reaffirm our commitment to those principles and to the urgent work of advancing justice in our country; we also know that this work cannot be successful without acknowledging the ways that many of us participate in this disgraceful system.
We will continue to reach out to our partners in communities of color to support them and to help inform our actions in the coming weeks, and months ahead.