We have heavy hearts. Our country and community are grieving. Most of us can’t begin to imagine the pain that the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others have felt as a result of injustice and systemic racism. It is racism that inhibits the ability to create community change.
At United Way of Champaign County, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our work. We wholeheartedly endorse United Way Worldwide’s statement on equity and access to justice. We want to add to these statements by sharing the direct actions we are taking:
- We reaffirm our commitment to listen to, hear, and lift up marginalized voices
- We will continue to be an active member of the Champaign County Community Coalition
- We will continue to award grants to programs run by and supporting people of color, providing resources needed for everyone in our community to succeed and thrive
- We will conduct continuous equity training for our staff, Board of Directors and Committees
- We will continue to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in the communities we serve
We must not let this moment be just a moment. In the coming weeks, our Women United group will be sharing an Equity Challenge. The Challenge will explore difficult topics such as structural racism, segregation, and privilege. We invite everyone in our community to participate in this work.
Our mission says “United Way of Champaign County will bring people and resources together to create positive change and lasting impact”. We will work every day to do just that. We can and must work together to build a community that embraces our differences, realizes that there is such a beautiful tapestry of people who all have worth, who make our community better just by being here.
So, United, let us do the work to end racism in our community. We know we can do it, because when we join together, we do our best work.
United Way of Champaign County
