About What’s Happening

The murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd are but the latest in a long history of violence against black and brown bodies since the inception of this nation. These tragic, yet predictable outcomes are symptoms of the systemic racism, which permeates all institutions of this nation and has always taken a toll on the BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) community. The present racial crisis our nation is experiencing, intensified by the coronavirus pandemic is the consequence of a culture that has placed capital over compassion and property over people

We have come to understand that the systemic racism in the U.S., like COVID-19 is a disease and presents a health crisis that is in need of a vaccine. It is important to remember when people are oppressed and exploited and their voices are ignored for centuries that it is an inevitability that at some point that they will stand and refuse to take it anymore. They know well, as our founding fathers knew then that “whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form.” (Declaration of Independence)

We as a nation will be judged by how we treat the “least of them”. When a country turns a deaf ear to the disempowered calls for equity in education, employment, housing, access to healthcare, economics and and justice, the entire nation suffers.  Until this nation commits to placing the priorities of the most marginalized and oppressed as our overall and uppermost priorities, we will never achieve full unity or real peace.  Unlike COVIS-19, this is not and never has been an invisible threat.  For far too long have black and brown people of this nation been treated harshly and unfair as moderate white people have stood by and silently witnessed, while yet benefiting from the inequities upon which this nation was founded. 

It will not be until we as a nation move beyond aspirations and for once in our history embrace the sacred creed that all are created equal; that we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights; “that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that we become the “one nation under God with liberty and justice for all”

The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance is under the leadership of a people-of-color led Steering Committee and assisted by a network of individuals and organizations across Vermont. We advocate for the implementation of State and local policy with our collective strength, voice and leadership.  We believe that when the most vulnerable members of our society are empowered, society as a whole will be better for it.  The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance is working to address systemic racism by community outreach, education and legislative action.    
We urge you to take action by holding local and state officials accountable to passing and implementing policy that is uppermost in the lives of black and brown people, including:

• The call for civilian oversight of law enforcement (petition)
• Standardized Statewide data collection, policy and training for the use of force by police H.464, Use of Force Bill
• Justice System-wide data collection H.284, the Justice System Data
• Reparations for Slavery H.478, the Reparations Task Force Bill
• Strengthened reparative and racial equity components of the Cannabis taxation and regulation bill S.54, (Cannabis reparations petition)
• Incorporate racial equity and environmental justice at the center of any Statewide land use statute (H.926, the bill related to ACT 250)
• Respond to our recent request that COVID-19 funds be allocated to address the severe and disproportionate impact on people of color within the State. 

Most of all, the Alliance urges you to embrace the power that you possess to to be and agent of transformation throughout this ongoing crisis that we face. Inaction created this crisis. Our proactive engagement is what is needed to “form a more perfect union” for all as we move out of it.

Attend our Webinar Educational Series (see Facebook) that equips the community by shining a light on systemic racism and framing the real issues it of the day. We have added  “Speak-out on #GeorgeFloyd And The State of The Nation” and “Use Of Force: How Much Is Enough and How Do We know It?  (some of the webinars will ask for a nominal fee).