Sadly the death of George Floyd has served as a catalyst to draw all our attention to injustice.
We are living in a moment marked by deep levels of anger, fear, frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty. The daily protests in our region and across the country underscore the institutional obstacles that deny so many African American families and other disenfranchised communities the foundational promises of life and liberty. As we witness a universal call to action to address inequity and injustice, we stand with our communities and pledge that we must do better.
The Y is an organization rooted in communities across Metropolitan Detroit since 1852. Today our mission to build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all … is more important than ever. We are here for all Detroit area residents to empower youth, to improve health, and strengthen community. We embrace the responsibility to help every person thrive. We also embrace the responsibility to help change the systemic issues that prevent this from occurring including racism, intolerance, and bigotry.
Early this year our YMCA deepened our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We added a fifth core value (inclusion) and we have made a promise to ensure our staff make our Y a welcoming one. As seen in the photos, pre COVID, our children gave us hope and today in the midst of a pandemic, in midst of injustice, they are the reason we must continue to pursue justice. Yesterday, we shared how our Y serves as a safe, sanitary, and welcoming space for children. It was our way to demonstrate how we are intentionally working to create communities that are welcoming to everyone.
We look forward to reopening and working with the community towards justice.