Black Lives Matter and I stand in solidarity with BIPOC communities.

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once wrote, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” The time for silence is long past — we must stand together and work together in order to eradicate the evils of systemic racism from our society. The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor point to the devastatingly painful realities of racism in our country. Distrust, inequity, microaggressions, prejudice, and trauma are all-too-present in our country, in our community, in our schools, and in the workplace. We must listen closely and carefully to the experiences of those who face these painful realities as a part of their everyday lives.

As Audra Lorde reminds us, “oppression and the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sizes and colors and sexualities; and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression.” I pledge to stand in solidarity with BIPOC communities, to work toward a better future, to listen, to educate myself, to support, and to work alongside those who seek a better future for our state. The values of diversity and inclusion are strengths in our community and they are Colorado values that we must aspire to uphold. 

I support police and criminal justice reform, in addition to Colorado’s ban on chokeholds and carotid holds. I also support community policing, adult diversion programs, increased mental and behavioral health supports, racial sensitivity training, and the reallocation of public safety resources to positions such as social workers, addiction counselors, and other behavioral health experts that can prove vital in de-escalating situations that might otherwise be prone to violence.