An Open Letter to Our Community in the Wake of the Two Most Recent Incidents of Police Violence

Dear Community,

We are reeling, angered, disgusted, outraged, horrified, deeply saddened, and so.fucking.disturbed by the two most recent, publicized, incidents of police violence that took the beautiful, black lives of #AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastile.

We write to you today to say loudly, as every citizen of the world should: BLACK LIVES MATTER.

That this statement is and must be political in anyway is a horrifying reflection of the racist world we live in and the white supremacy that governs it.

Community, we love you. Black community, especially, we love you. We are deeply grateful to Colorlines for publishing this article of self-care tips for “Days When the World is Terrible” and support each and every one of you in whatever self-care practices are necessary while acknowledging the community actions we can all take to lift the burden of care from those affected most.

Non-black people of color and white people, we are writing to you today, also, to implore you to dedicate your words, bodies, and work to dismantling the anti-black racism that is responsible for the deaths of so many of (y)our black siblings, at the hands of police.

Reading and empathizing is not enough. Body cameras are not enough. Facebook pictures are not enough.

As a community, we must demand actions from our government and our communities to end police violence. Non-black POC and white people must take concrete steps to educate themselves about racism in the United States and  “show that [they] understand that Black lives are important and that [they] won't stand for them to be taken away in this manner anymore.” Non black-POC specifically, must acknowledge and combat anti-black racism within their communities.

In love and solidarity,
Art for Ourselves Staff