Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition

Over the past week, I have begun my work with the Anti Racism Commitment Coalition. The onboarding process has provided me an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the impacts that ARCC has made, and was able to further visualize the ways I can be a catalyst for change as a member of ARCC and beyond.

To hold space for our black brothers and sisters is to understand that our white superiority complex of the “past” has created an ever-present mental catastrophe by perpetuating Black socioeconomic, emotional, and intellectual agony. May we fight for a world in which the only psychological pathways the Black community passes through their lineage are ones of strength, pride, and intrinsic beauty.

So when politicians in the United States slander Haitian immigrants, the cousins of Black Americans, this is what they are continuing. When they dehumanize those escaping the economic disaster continued to be levied by the U.S. and global financial institutions, this is what they are continuing.

If you have ever been enrolled in an English literature class in school, odds are that you have read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the book, Atticus Finch is defending a man by the name of Tom Robinson who was indicted for raping a girl based on a fabricated story. The novel goes on to describe the hardship that Atticus faces in creating a solid defense against Tom for one undeniable reason- he is black. This book was written in the 1960s and should be a clear issue of the past. Nearly six decades after this fictional story was written, on September 24, 2024, Marcellus Williams' life was taken by the state of Missouri through lethal injection.

As a young Black woman, I can't help but feel that police brutality is an issue that will be consistent unless we make some real changes. Each time about another brutal killing by law enforcement, it cuts deep.

The very foundation of the United States was built on the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice for all. The Declaration of Independence proclaims that "all men are created equal" and are endowed with unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, when these words were penned, enslaved Black people were far from free.

To truly understand the exceptions to the rule of the thirteenth amendment it is important that we evaluate the resources that are available and the perspectives of those who have been able to effectively analyze the systems in place. A book that I first recommend, as it has been prevalent in many school-mandated reading lists, is “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander.

As of today, The United States makes up about 5% of the world population but comprises 20% of the world’s prison population. To understand how the U.S. got to this point of mass incarceration we may look to the 13th Amendment.

It feels like a cyclical, painful story we are living through: when will we be removed from this cycle of violence? When will it end? When will we have to stop hearing reports about murders? When will innocent lives be free from subjugation to the random biased will of a police officer?

After the murder of George Floyd, companies took to social media with bold announcements, pledging nearly $50 billion to anti-racism efforts across the United States. It’s been over four years, and corporate America has yet to make good on these promises.