Addressing Inequity & Injustice to Make Tomorrow Better

First, we stand with all communities and especially now the African American community, both locally and beyond, and like many of you, are processing a whirlwind of emotions: grief, frustration, anger, fear, and even despair. These feelings are real and deep-rooted, and the tragic killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others underscore their gravity. While we must remember what has sparked these feelings, we also need to ask ourselves what we can each do to change the course.

We celebrate diversity, champion equity and inclusion, and advocate tirelessly for policies that serve and benefit all. There is no justification for the lack of progress on basic human rights, opportunities, and protections, and we accept the challenge and responsibility to do more ourselves and demand more from others. Part of that challenge is to ensure that our community members live without fear for their own safety and the safety of their children and loved ones. We are committed to the notion of building a community where everyone has equitable opportunities to thrive and we at CFT will use our extensive community influence to support measures that drive this outcome.

It starts with each of us. Some of us will never know or fully understand the lived experiences of black people and other marginalized individuals, but we can certainly engage, listen, learn, show kindness, and then use our hearts, minds, and collective voices to ally in achieving lasting, positive change. This requires multiple difficult things including a daily commitment, acknowledging and addressing our own personal biases, and conversations that may be uncomfortable. This is hard, yet necessary work, to be done individually and collectively, side by side. To advance a new era, our pace must be faster, our resolve sharper, our urgency greater, and we must hold one another accountable.

The word “philanthropy” means “love of mankind.” Let us all be philanthropists, opening our hearts wider to show our love for one another and our community. Let us commit to this, together, and to the actions that will turn our words into reality.

We stand with you, our partners, donors, and grantees working to build more equitable communities. Let us share our collective power, voice, and resources with all who need it, without fearing what we might lose, because we have everything to gain.

Standing side by side,

Dave Scullin
President and CEO
Communities Foundation of Texas