99 years ago, thousands of Oklahomans lost their lives, homes and businesses in one of the worst acts of racially-motivated violence in our nation’s history, the Tulsa Race Massacre. This weekend, we remember their loss.

Nearly a century later, the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others show us that racial injustice and violence is not a thing of the past but a tragedy of today.

On this anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre we pause to remember the thousands of victims who were murdered, those whose homes were burned and whose lives were destroyed. We must also recognize the trauma of continued violence perpetrated against black communities to this day.

Though we would like to believe that America has learned from her mistakes, that the decades-long struggle for equity has made our nation more just and more compassionate, the reality is that we still have far to go. This injustice is something we cannot and I will not ignore.

The fight for justice and freedom is constant and it is our job to do the hard work to make those values a reality for everyone. Though I will never fully understand the fear and loss that black communities are forced to confront every day, I can and will stand as an ally.

We must acknowledge and learn from our past in order to change our present and improve our future. We are called to combat and confront racism wherever it exists, to counter division with unity, and champion the power of love and grace.

Justice is within our reach, but to grasp it we need an honest accounting of our past and a compassionate understanding of our present. Where we go next is up to each and every one of us.