We, Still River Sword, are against racial injustice, police brutality, and systemic inequality. Black Lives Matter. To demonstrate a commitment to equal justice for all, it is necessary for the majority to confront, reject and eliminate the ongoing and significant inequities faced on a daily basis by racial and ethnic minorities. One way to help in this effort is to financially support the work of non-governmental organizations dedicated to the struggle for equal justice.
We are donating $7250 ($4500 from team member contributions, the rest from employer matching) split evenly between a local organization Lawyers for Civil Rights and one with a wider reach, the Equal Justice Initiative. We invite you to join us by engaging in team conversation and by making donations to local and national anti-racist organizations of your choice.
While we make efforts to welcome all, in practice our community continues to be majority white. Simply saying that we welcome everyone is not enough. We need to show our commitment to equality with action. We acknowledge that our traditional forms of dance and music have their historical roots and contemporary revival in England, a colonial culture that oppressed many people of color around the world, and America, whose legacy of slavery still reverberates to the detriment of people of color in this country. We reject any and all explicit and implicit racist actions and views endemic in such a tradition; we embrace the power of dance and music to constructively demonstrate our shared humanity and to effect social change; and we welcome the opportunity to join the overdue fight for equal justice today.