Jun 01

The Center’s Statement on the Fight for Racial Justice

Today and every day, the Center stands in solidarity with our Black colleagues and friends and with the entire Black community as they mourn yet another senseless series of losses.

The recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd have restarted a broad conversation about the work we have to do as a country—but for Black people in the United States, systemic racism, discrimination, and endangerment by those in positions of authority are facts of daily life. 

As a civil rights organization committed to the educational rights of students with disabilities, we know that communities of color are disproportionately impacted by inadequate educational services and that all equity issues are intersectional. However, the crisis of institutionalized racism in the United States is far broader than education issues alone. 

Our commitment to doing the work to dismantle systems of oppression must be ongoing and grounded in humility. It must involve unflinching self-examination and willingness to do the hard internal work to root out implicit bias. And most importantly, we must center and listen to Black voices. 

Black lives matter.