I am a person of color. While I have an Anglo-Saxon name and appearance, my mother is an Ecuadorian immigrant. Perhaps b/c of my name and appearance, and then the fact that I plunged into a very white male-dominated career, carving my own racial identity has been complex. 1/

Probably my greatest identity has always been “American”. As the child of an immigrant and a Vietnam veteran, I have long believed that this is the greatest country in the world. 2/

So the events of this weekend trigger a lot for me. What is happening in our country today reflects a tremendous amount of inequality, pain, and hardship. Slavery is a founding stain on our nation, and racism is a continued plague that we seem unable to erase. 3/

The American system is a fundamentally slow-moving one by design – and it simply has failed with respect to racial justice and equality. I feel profound anger, sadness and even hopelessness. 4/

So, here I am, speaking up: Black Lives Matter. America must fulfill our founding promise and be a nation with justice and freedom for all its people. I add my voice calling for that, and I lean forward, looking to help make this change. 5/end cc @tobi, @mamoonha, @EdGrapeNutZimm