Dear Supporters,

 

We want to acknowledge our disappearance over the last few months. We understand that our silence to the nation’s current events is frustrating. We have been meeting together to reflect and organize our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and understandings of what the Black community has faced and continues to face every single day.

 

Black community members continue to be impacted by systemic racism and abhorrent violence that led to the murders of Daniel Prude, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jonathan Price, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Ezell Ford, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson and countless other Black Americans by police. NMD United hears you. We see you. We wish to support you in the fight for racial justice.

 

Black lives matter. Black disabled lives matter. Black trans lives matter. Black queer lives matter. Black women's lives matter. Black undocumented lives matter.

 

Racism and ableism are inextricably connected. They are both mechanisms of white supremacy used against Black, Indigenous, People of Color and disabled bodies and minds to oppress us. Our shared oppressions have made us allies in our fight for civil rights.

 

NMD United acknowledges the systemic injustices and racism within our communities. We are committed to working against systems and practices that have perpetuated inequities for hundreds of years. NMD United acknowledges and recognizes that our Organization is run by a predominantly white Board of Directors. We must do better. We recognize the intersectional nature of our communities’ lives. We commit to examining our policies and procedures, and removing internal barriers that may play a role in restricting our Board and programs’ access to all.

 

With this lens, we are taking the following intentional actions:

• NMD United has donated to the Disability Justice Culture Club in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

• NMD United will revise our Bylaws to ensure those individuals who rely on our grant programming and other direct services may still fully enjoy those rights without being restricted from serving the Organization in an official capacity

• NMD United’s Board of Directors will attend racial equity training. We vow a long-term commitment to unlearning racism. Only through understanding how we participate in and perpetuate racist systems can we begin meaningful change to intentionally be anti-racist.

 

NMD United encourages our membership to educate themselves on systemic racism. We want you to pledge to dismantle racist tendencies with the same spirit that you dismantle ableist tendencies.

 

To that end, we share the following external resources:

• Anti Racist Resource Guide

• Resources for #BlackDisabledLivesMatter

• Black Disabled Woman Syllabus: A Compilation

• Where To Donate To Help Black People With Disabilities

• Resistance for Disabled, Chronically Ill, and Immune Compromised Folx Who Cannot Join the Front Lines

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In Solidarity,

 

Emily Wolinsky, President

T.K. Small, Vice President & Treasurer

Kendra Scalia, Secretary

Dan Darkow, Director

Andraea LaVant, Director

Brooklyn Marx, Director

Ali Ramos, Director

Maria Sotnikova, Director

Michael Wasser, Director