In this moment, we remember, grieve and honor the countless African Americans and people of color whose lives have been senselessly cut short by violence and brutality. We denounce structural racism which serves to devalue and imperil the lives, health and wellbeing of Black and Brown people.
Words, without responsible action, will fall short. We know that we can do more to foster health equity in our community and are committed to:
- Continuing to support our partners in their efforts to apply a racial equity lens to their work,
- Building the capacity of grassroots organizations and organizations led by people of color, and
- Investing in strategies that make the connection between community engagement and policy and advocacy efforts.
We will also continue our internal process of learning and critical self-reflection as Trustees and staff of RMHF. We recognize racism is pervasive in every system of our society, and we commit to unpacking the practices and culture at the Foundation in our journey towards anti-racism.
In the days ahead, our community will be called upon to address longstanding inequities with courage and conviction. The RMHF Trustees and team remain deeply committed to listening to, learning from, and investing in and supporting our partners and allies committed to fostering health equity and will work without ceasing to realize the aspirations of RMHF’s 2017 and 2019 Equity + Health Fellows.
Now more than ever, philanthropy – love of humanity – requires that justice making, where Black and Brown lives matter and are valued, be our work.
