A Message From Sheila Ronning, Women in the Boardroom Founder
The past week has undoubtedly been difficult and horrifying for us all, but especially overwhelming for our black communities. Over the past month, we’ve witnessed the senseless murders of Breonna Taylor, an EMT asleep in her home in Kentucky, of Ahmaud Arbery an African American man out for a jog in Georgia, and of an unresistant George Floyd, a black man making a purchase at a grocery store in Minneapolis. We also watched the disturbing and unwarranted actions of Amy Cooper, who falsely accused Christian Cooper, a black man and birder, of threatening her. But unfortunately, these events are nothing new for men, women, and children of the black community. And for those of us who have been willfully unaware, we have only recently been confronted with the reality of how black men and women are treated in our country, and it can no longer be, nor should it be, ignored.
Women in the Boardroom is an organization dedicated to advancing diversity for ALL women, and we greatly empathize with the burden of racism forced upon the black community. There is a deep, centuries long history of systemic and institutional racism and oppression, including unfair policy making, law-making and governance, broken and underfunded social systems, disproportionate policing and enforcement, discriminatory hiring practices and access inequities that have created tremendous and overwhelming barriers for black men and women, alongside other communities of color in this country. And we need to take that seriously.
At WIB, we are dedicated to doing the work and not remaining silent; we are committed to unearthing and combatting racism every single day. We believe this begins with prioritizing an open dialogue about racism, racial bias, and the challenges that black people endure. We pledge to educate ourselves and our community and firmly stand against racism. Women in the Boardroom proudly stands in solidarity with the black community. #BlackLivesMatter
We invite you to continue this dialogue with us, and to access the resources we’ve found helpful compiled below.
Read
- Police Violence
- An Antiracist Reading List
- Campaign Zero—Solutions
- The Opportunity Agenda—Promoting Accountability
- Center for Policing Equity—The Science of Justice: Race, Justice, and Police Use of Force
- Tragic Death of George Floyd Reveals Continuing Problem of Police Violence
Watch
- How we can make racism a solvable problem — and improve policing
- 13th (Netflix)
- Dear White People (Netflix)
- When They See Us (Netflix)
- King In The Wilderness (HBO)
- The Hate U Give (Amazon)
Act
- Color of Change—Sign a Petition to End Violent Policing Against Black People
- Official George Floyd Memorial Fund—Go Fund Me
- Nationwide Bail Fund
Engage
- Black Futures Lab
- Campaign Zero
- Center for Policing Equity
- Movement For Black Lives
- National Black Justice Coalition
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP)
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