Last week the world was witness to the brutal and senseless murder of another unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of the police. Seeing the life fleeing Mr. Floyd’s body was painful and left a nation in grief. A pain and grief that has manifested in demonstrations across each of our 50 states and the eventual arrest of the four police officers responsible for his death.

We at El Centro Hispano stand with our black brothers and sisters and demand justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tamara Rice and many others who were denied their humanity. As an organization that advocates for equity and inclusion, we demand the dismantlement of the systemic racism that keeps killing and perpetuating the pain and violence in Black and Brown communities.

This being Pride month, we are reminded that Pride started as a protest against police brutality led by Black and Brown trans women. We uphold the right to peacefully protest, and we absolutely reject the deployment of military troops in the streets of the United States. We know that to end generations of injustice will take all of our communities to raise their voices under the leadership of those most impacted and taking action.

While we welcome the news that all four police officers will now face criminal charges, we recognize that it is unacceptably overdue but a necessary step toward. We must and will continue to fight for reforms in policing and to end racial, social, and economic injustice.

One thing is clear, Black Lives Matter and we all have an obligation to stand and be part of this fight.