Take An Action
This morning I watched many cities elected officials give their account of the weekend's protest of demanding policy change in the name of George Floyd and the countless other black lives lost at the hands of those sworn to protect them. For the most part, these elected officials I felt were balanced in their words – the majority of protesters were doing so peacefully while others were there for reasons unrelated to the peaceful protests. BUT, there were a few of these elected officials that felt the need to remind me that the escalated police force I witnessed – knees on the necks of those arrested at the protests and police cruisers used as ramming machines – was necessary because of a few bad apples. So… I guess I need to remind these officials that any of "this" is a result of your inactions over decades of mistreatment and hundreds of Black lives lost. This tells me that you simply don't see the value of Black lives.
I saw in Minneapolis a report of 200 incidents where arrests were made in the same way George Floyd was taken into custody. Of the 200 arrests, 44 ended up with those arrested losing consciousness. ~25%!!! I can't imagine where we would be if 25% of Whites arrested end up this way. Or, sadly… If 25% of the pets you love were treated this way… What would White America do?
So… White or otherwise… What action can you take today? If you are struggling with what to do. Here are two things you can do right after reading this post.
1. Give to those who are already able to help Black America. Groups like the NAACP who are already doing the work can use your support. If you have other recommendations, please give to them, and highlight their work.
2. Write your representatives at a State and Federal level. The Mapping Police Violence site (mappingpoliceviolence.org) is not only a good source of information on just who bad things are regarding policing policies… The site has a look-up tool at the bottom of the homepage to connect you to your elected officials.
To all my folks… I’m not sure what I might be able to do for each of you personally but hit me up if you need anything.
Senior Leader of PMO and Operational teams with a passion for Continuous Improvement and Change Management
4 年I’m in. It’s not ok. Thank you for posting. My best to you and yours.
Enjoying retirement and side gigs
4 年Thank you, Rich - your guidance and your leadership is immeasurable to me and so many others.
"Visionary Cultivator of the Future of Work"- Apprenticeship does not scale without Mentors
4 年Thanks for sharing Rich. I have no words, only action will speak.
Director of Customer Delivery and PMO | Program Management & Transformation Leader | Senior Management Consultant
4 年Rich Neal powerful post and so happy to see a leader, like you, to post in a professional forum. I feel as a woman of color that professional forums are often off limits. It is time for us to rise and turn the tide to bring light to whats happening in America. And educating and helping empower our friends who are non-POC is so important. We need to stand united.
Director- Technical Program Managers (Riot Games)
4 年Thank you Rich!