Like so many others, we are yet again heartbroken over another unnecessary and unjust killing of a young black man in our community, Daunte Wright. Words cannot adequately capture this moment. We empathize with those bearing the emotional and psychological pain of yet another act of injustice. We feel compassion for our fellow community members at the mercy of frequently oppressive systems. And we grieve with another family dealing with a death that needn’t have been so.

VEAP also recognizes that the community of Brooklyn Center was already facing food insecurity. We stand with our sister organization, CEAP, as they work to serve those whose access to food has been disrupted by the public response to this tragedy. We are supportive of community efforts to fill the need for basic supplies, food, and personal hygiene items for families in Brooklyn Center. We encourage you to consider supporting CEAP and these other initiatives at this time. We would also like to share a resource list curated by the Interfaith Organization for navigating racialized trauma.

Our entire organization remains ever-committed to addressing and remedying the ways in which systemic inequities such as racism and white supremacy challenge our own operations. We are driven to continue advancing our own learning (and un-learning) in this area, as we work to live out our values and build the world we wish to see—free from discrimination and oppression.