At Orange County Rape Crisis Center we envision a world free of all forms of oppression. This includes the murder, harassment, neglect, abuse, and degradation of Black people.

We mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and the countless other Black people whose lives have been lost to racist violence in all its forms this week, last week, and over the course of the last 400 years. We bear witness to the grief, rage, and weariness of Black communities across the nation.

We stand in self-reckoning with the ways that our movement to end rape has been complicit in the criminalization of Black communities. We stand committed to the urgent and complex work of dismantling racism from within ourselves, our organization, and our community. We stand in support of Black-led organizations fighting to affirm Black life and end structural racism.

We know many of our Black community members are seeking the space and time to heal and that many of our white supporters are looking for ways to help. In the next several weeks, we will be sharing resources to support this critical work. But for now, we simply wish to express empathy for the suffering of Black people and solidarity with everyone fighting to affirm Black lives and end racism.