Equitable Vision

Community Members To Share Their Stories At Virtual Event Organized By Nonprofit Condemning Racism and Police Brutality

Greenville, SC, June.1, 2020: A Nicholtown nonprofit striving for an equitable future will amplify the stories of people of color as the nonprofit speaks out to condemn racism and police brutality.

An online Zoom event taking place tomorrow evening (Tuesday, June 2) at 6:30 pm will feature guest speaker Greenville civil rights activist Dr. Grady Butler, who was arrested with Martin Luther King during a lunch counter protest in Atlanta in 1960.

There will also be performances by local spoken word artists Chauncey Beaty and Moody Black. Participates are invited to join at www.sustainingway.org.

The event was organized in remembrance and celebration of Juneteenth, otherwise known as Freedom Day, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19. As the nation navigates outpourings of pain and anger following the death of George Floyd, the event will also be a chance for people of color to tell their stories and call for change.

Sustaining Way, an interfaith nonprofit that uses education, collaboration, and workforce development to cultivate a thriving, sustainable, and equitable community, has issued the following statement condemning systemic racism and police brutality against George Floyd and other people of color:

“Sustaining Way stands together with others across this nation in their expressions of outrage and demands for change.

The impact of systematic racism spans the history of our country. We must be intentional and committed to the work of exposing this history, addressing inequities and creating an inclusive and just future, distinct from the past.”

Sustaining Way Program Director, Alecia Brewster adds: “The violence and unrest in our community and across this country is evidence that we can not go back to business as usual. We must stop and address the legacy of slavery that has plagued our country and terrorized black people for the past 400 years. As an African American mother and a woman of faith, I am obligated to protect my children and all of God’s children from the brutality of our current system. I believe that we can work together to create a future that gives everyone the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.”

As Sustaining Way continues its work to cultivate a sustainable and equitable future for all, the organization will prioritize efforts to combat racism in the communities it serves. These actions will include providing people of color with a platform to tell their stories via Open House events, combating racial disparities in the community, and organizing a Get Out The Vote campaign in partnership with South Carolina Interfaith Power & Light to provide the resources and help for people of color to vote safely in November 2020.

”The recent killing of George Floyd is just another example of the brokenness and oppression in our society that is too often directed at people of color,” says Sustaining Way founder Rick Joye. “Standing by without speaking up allows these atrocities to continue. I call on each person that reads this to add their own voice and to share it – especially if you are white. We must stop this cancer on our society, and we can if you speak up and demand action.”

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