Bethesda Project’s Statement on the Movement for Racial Justice
Do Black Lives Matter?
Of course, they do. How could they not? But Black Lives Matter cannot be distilled as solely a position against police brutality or racially motivated violence against Black people; it is an opportunity to raise awareness of and combat the marginalization of Black people caused by systems of oppression that are historically designed to favor people in power. Black Lives Matter does not mean that only Black Lives Matter; it is not an anti-white proposition. It is a statement of inclusion rather than exclusion, essentially a reminder that Black Lives Matter. Having said this, we can state emphatically that Bethesda Project supports Black Lives Matter.
Bethesda Project’s mission is to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none. Approximately 70% of the guests and residents we serve are Black, and we have witnessed the long-standing systematic racism and social and economic inequalities that have influenced their journey to our doors. We embrace the core values of social work – service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence in our efforts to provide adults experiencing homelessness secure, safe, and stable housing.
Supporting Black Lives Matter is a natural extension of our mission to be family with those who have none. We recognize that our solidarity is an important first step, but it can’t be the only step. For real change to happen, we must move beyond not being racist and instead take action to demonstrate our commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization.
We stand in solidarity and as an active participant in the efforts to dismantle the overt and covert bias against Black people embedded in every layer of society, including that experienced by our guests, residents and staff on a daily basis.
In fulfillment of our mission, our community of guests, residents, staff, board members, volunteers, supporters, and neighbors, commits to creating a culture where each person in our family is seen, heard, and treated with respect and dignity.
We strive to be active participants in bringing about needed change by helping to amplify voices of those that have been silenced. We will share their stories of pain, resilience, and personal triumph.
We commit to further diversify our leadership staff, and we are on track with our plan to pay equitable wages to all staff.
We will bravely continue to have difficult conversations, learning from expected missteps, about social injustices that impact guests, residents, and staff and how we can improve our own practices and advocate for change in the broader community.
We will continue to intentionally create and foster communities of belonging and inclusion for all.
There is much work to be done during this opportunity for needed healing and growth. We ask every member of our community to actively join us in this work and help to hold one another accountable. The importance of human relationships has never been clearer, and our mission to be family with one another has never been more relevant.
