Author: Khaboshi Imbukwa

Dear Community, 

Justice for George Floyd has finally arrived. The former police officer who killed him has been convicted on all counts of murder and faces up to 40 years in prison.    

We know that no single verdict can undo systemic racism or redress this country’s abhorrent policing methods that result in the deaths of unarmed Black and Brown people. Even as the trial unfolded, the chronic tragedy of lives taken continued to underscore this truth. Systemic racial inequities remain unabated in our nation, so much so that this month, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared racism a serious threat to public health.  

At GLIDE, our racial justice work is as grounded in systems change as it is in addressing the empathy gap — the lack of understanding that so many people have been killed, incarcerated, racially profiled, denied safety and opportunity, just for being Black. It is our empathy work — founded in the possibility of radical transformation through experiential learning – that is at the heart of our values.  

For nearly 60 years, GLIDE has stood for and with the people, and we have always known that Black Lives Matter. Seeing the humanity in every person, holding space in the moment and driving a vision of justice from a place of radical inclusion, and love, for all the people. This is why GLIDE is here, every day, for everyone. 

We say their names — Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Remy Fennell, Atatiana Jefferson, Andre Hill, Pamela Turner, Trayvon Marvin, Sandra Bland, and so many others — to center us in our work to end anti-Blackness.  

We know there is much more that needs to be done to realize a more loving and just society. We remain committed to dismantling the systems of injustice that perpetuate racism, inequity, and marginalization. Let us continue this important work together. 

In Solidarity, 

Karen J. Hanrahan
President & CEO

Dear Community,

When earlier this week a white man coldly and cruelly murdered eight human beings in Atlanta, seven of them women and six of those women of Asian descent, we were like so many people around the world horrified and grief-stricken. But, sadly, we were not surprised.

White supremacy, racism, xenophobia, and sexism have long wielded inauthentic and oppressive privilege, and we are in the midst of a rising resurgence of its violence intentionally stoked by demagogues who benefit from it to the detriment of us all.

This rising tide of violence has manifested itself in our very own city, with vicious attacks on our elders including a grandmother and cancer-survivor standing on Market Street only a few blocks from GLIDE.

These attacks against our neighbors and families of Asian descent are, we must say again, an attack on us all.

As a social justice organization and movement founded and led for decades by an Asian American woman and an African American man, and an interracial couple, we not only recognize the deep roots of racism and misogyny in this country; we also know the possibility and power in overcoming its virulent efforts to divide us from one another and rule us by fear.

For almost 60 years now, we have faced down that fear and violence with love, with the courage to look and listen to one another. And in recognizing the humanity of the other, we have found the humanity in ourselves.

We must continue to stand up for one another, we must continue to stand together. And that means listening, seeing and following the lead of our community members of Asian background and descent in this moment when they have been intentionally targeted by people in power who know well how to play on longstanding myths and prejudices to keep us attacking one another instead of uniting in mutual interest for our own collective benefit.

Now is the time to learn more, listen more, and come together to understand where we are, and where we must get to—together—for a just and nurturing future for ourselves, our families, our neighbors and all our fellow human beings.

If you are in San Francisco, please join us in showing up for our Asian American community at a noon gathering tomorrow (Saturday) hosted by the Chinese Progressive Association.

In solidarity and love, always,

GLIDE

Additional Resources:

https://www.aapiprogressiveaction.com/

https://asianamericanstudies.cornell.edu/anti-racism-resources-aapi-community

https://www.aapicovid19.org/resources

https://www.playbill.com/article/stop-aapi-hate-a-resource-guide-to-support-the-asian-american-community