SAY San Diego Recommits to Undoing Racism

Today, SAY San Diego joins with his family, friends and community—nationwide and right here in San Diego—to grieve the senseless, unjust death of George Floyd at the hands of police. We are in pain. We are also at a pivotal moment. George Floyd’s killing underscores racial injustice that takes an ugly toll daily across our nation. It places a bright spotlight on the immoral legacy of ongoing racial hatred and systemic racism where systems fail to protect and serve all people of color, and most acutely Black and Latinx people.

Today we say their names because this moment demands real change and real action: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, and far too many more.

The key question of this moment for SAY San Diego as an organization whose mission is to heal, to advocate and to lift every voice, is what will we do?  All of us have a role. Now more than ever SAY San Diego as an organization and each of us as individuals recommit to doing more and redoubling our focus on undoing racially unjust and harmful policies. We will re-examine our own institutional norms, biases, privileges and practices to ensure that we are anti-racist and undoing racism.

SAY San Diego’s board, staff, program participants, partners and communities will continue to create the vision we hold, but have not yet achieved, of opportunity, equity and well-being for all.  SAY San Diego joins with all who seek to bring people together by acknowledging racial divides, seeking to understand root causes of racism and oppression, listening more deeply, and recommitting to solutions that heal and produce durable, positive change.

With our thanks,

Nancy Gannon Hornberger, SAY San Diego President & CEO
LaDreda Lewis, SAY San Diego Board Chair