On Black Lives Matter
We are mourning and grieving along with many, feeling profoundly shaken by the
needless loss of Black and brown lives at the hands of police.
This is not new. The killing of George Floyd, and so many others, is what lynching looks like today. The concept of race was created to divide us, and to build inequities into our rule of law, educational systems, and financial institutions. “Whiteness” as a concept was created to suppress black voters when the term Christian was no longer sufficient.
DNDA continues on the path of dismantling structural, institutional, and individual racism. It is a long road, because we have a long history of racist oppression in America, in our actions and policies, our police, criminal justice, educational systems, and more. Whenever we prioritize money and property over people, we are complicit. We can all do better, and we are here ready to work with you to promote Black lives, Black joy, and creative collaborations across race and over all divisions. In the collective spirit of all the work done at Youngstown and DNDA, we demand a community, nation and future where Black youth thrive and lead.