This week, our nation is mourning another instance of a deadly encounter between police and an unarmed person of color. George Floyd’s unnecessary death at the hands of Minneapolis police was a preventable tragedy.

What happened to George Floyd, what happened to Ahmaud Arbery, has happened for centuries. The difference is now we have cell phones. We can watch what is happening. And we can’t turn our heads and look away because we feel uncomfortable.

Racism plays an insidious role in the daily lives of all working people of color. This is a labor issue because it is a workplace issue. It is a community issue, and unions are the community.

We must and will continue to fight for reforms in policing and to address issues of racial and economic inequality.
Inequities exist. For far too long, we, as a nation, avoided saying that out loud. We avoided doing anything. We can no longer be silent. We can no longer sit still