Let's Unite to Drive Positive Change

Hello Friends,

As a leader in the Boston tech and startup community, via Boston New Technology, I felt a responsibility to take a clear, firm stand to support peace and unity in our communities and nation, and encourage everyone to do the same.

Here is the same message I shared with BNT members...

At BNT, we stand firmly against racism, discrimination and police brutality, and support driving positive and peaceful change through movements like Black Lives Matter, which "fight for Freedom, Liberation and Justice."

BNT has, and always will, support equality, diversity, inclusion and peaceful protesting.

We are heartbroken, appalled and angry about the senseless killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, as well as the brutal deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and other senseless murders. Here are some of the latest updates:

In his town hall meeting, former President Barack Obama said he supports peaceful protesters demanding police reforms and he believes only a “tiny” percentage of protesters had acted violently. He also said the “vast majority” of police officers, in his view, were not violent. Watch the meeting, learn about suggested reform and ways you can take action at Obama.org and read the recap from The New York Times:

If you want to better understand the point of view of African Americans and situations they have to deal with, read Lori Lakin Hutcherson's article that explains what White Privilege means.

We encourage everyone to support and engage with groups and communities that support driving positive change.

Let's unite and work together for a better future for all.

We encourage you to support the House Resolution Condemning Police Brutality that condemns all acts of police brutality, racial profiling and excessive use of force, and asks Congress to adopt reforms at all levels of government.

Here are several groups and resources you may find helpful and want to support:

Groups and Causes:

YW Boston is committed to eliminating racism and empowering women. In order to advance, we all must commit to learning more about issues of racial equity, gender equity, and intersectionality. As a nonprofit, we provide this crucial content on our blog, free of charge. It is time for real change, and we need you to make it happen. To help us continue, please consider supporting our work:

Resources:

#GeorgeFloyd+ Resource Compilation:

Take care and be safe,

Chris Requena and the BNT team