CASA CENTRAL’S SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
En Español
These are moments of outrage, pain, sadness and frustration for us and many in the world. As the American historian, Henry Steele Commager wrote, “If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function, it must have dissent.” At Casa Central we want to add our voice to the call for justice. We stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters in peaceful protest. Their pain is our pain. George Floyd’s murder was not an isolated incident, and it demands a transformation of the conditions in our society that have led to the disproportionate deaths of African-Americans and Latinos from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the pandemic of racism. In this moment of unrest, uncertainty and justified rage, we call upon all communities to unite and work together as agents of positive social change, led by Black and Brown communities. We must channel this energy toward dismantling systemic racism. At Casa Central we have been, and remain committed to addressing the social determinants of inequity and identifying concrete ways to address the conditions that have kept people of color in poverty, hopeless, and with limited options to achieve the promise of this great nation. Words without action are meaningless. Therefore, we implore our African-American and Latinx leaders to join forces to build even stronger bonds of unity among our communities. The leaders of this nation must launch a Marshall Plan that invests in communities of color, rebuilds those neighborhoods destroyed by discrimination, reinvents our methods of policing, removes barriers to overcoming poverty, and ensures access to health care and quality education.
As long as there is inequality in the world, our work as a people does not end. As an organization, we will continue to strengthen our mission to transform lives in the communities we serve, always defending and practicing inclusion and also supporting the fight for equality and social justice in all areas.
We support Black Lives, today and every day.
In solidarity,
Martin R. Castro
President and CEO
Casa Central Social Services