June 9, 2020

EWNJ President’s Statement on Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery.

As an organization that advocates on behalf of women for gender diversity, equity, and equality, we cannot stay silent in the face of outright injustice, most recently exhibited with the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery. Sadly, these are only the latest examples of hundreds of years of persistent dehumanization of Black Americans. Enough is enough. It is time to reform the institutions and systems that lead to these injustices.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has vividly illustrated how the inequities along racial and economic lines for Black communities are exacerbated in times of crisis, magnifying the imbalances that have been true for centuries.

EWNJ mourns this senseless loss of life. I support the protests and calls for meaningful and lasting change. I will never understand what it means to be a Black person in the world today, but I can listen to the guidance from the Black community. As an organization, we must raise our voices in solidarity to bring about change.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that is happening in the news and on social media but if we all focus on what we can do individually then it could lead to powerful collective change. This is why we’re asking our members to focus on leading change in their own communities and workplaces.

As discussed in my statement to ROI-NJ, we’re providing the following recommendations to our members as resources to educate them and drive change in the spaces that they occupy. We encourage everyone to take the time and read something on this list as a means to learn more and find actionable ways to help.

 

Education

The 1619 Project
Between the World and Me
How To Be An Ally In Times Of Tragedy
An Anti-Racist Reading List

Donation

NJ Institute for Social Justice
The Innocence Project
Committee to Protect Journalists
Campaign Zero

 

Barbara E. Kauffman
President of Executive Women of New Jersey
Executive Vice President & COO
Newark Regional Business Partnership