#StillWe March in Solidarity - Black Lives Matter
Video with ASL
Spanish language translation
As we enter Pride month, we uplift this profound moment to affirm that black lives matter.
Pride this year comes on the heels of a global pandemic and a nation confronting the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. This horrific tragedy, and the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery by police and white vigilantes, have created a nationwide uprising crying out for racial justice and the protection of Black life. We fully understand that these incidents represent only a small fraction of the systematic oppression and discrimination suffered by people of color in this country on a daily basis.
By its very nature, the struggle for civil rights must support, uplift, and affirm the most marginalized among us; none of us can be left behind. We acknowledge that the work of the LGBTQ+ community will not be complete until prejudice, inherent racism, and systemic oppression have been overcome. The LGBTQ+ community has a history of excluding, marginalizing, and erasing the work of Black and Brown Queer and Trans people. While we continue to work toward equity, we must atone for our role in inflicting this harm. This moment, like many before it, demand that we do better in our words and actions and hold ourselves accountable. The survival of Black and Brown bodies depends on it.
Our LGBTQ+ community is acutely aware of being told that we are less than, that our lives do not matter, and that our rights are not important or even contrary to American values. The on-going culture of permissible racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and transphobia, the last of which is seen in the epidemic of violence against trans women, particularly trans women of color, shows that we are all connected and we must stand together in unity.
As members of the Black and Brown communities have stood with the LGBTQ+ community, the Capital Pride Alliance stands in complete solidarity to unite against those disparities that impact communities of color. We pledge that we will work together to find solutions and make the positive changes that are so desperately needed to end inequity, injustice, and violence against people of color. We are committed to assessing our relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department; making certain that our partners are working for the betterment of the entire community; donating to those organizations that are creating transformative change; sharing anti-racism resources; and using our platform to center and uplift the voices of Black Queer and Trans people. In addition, we will not support anyone who promotes hate, division, and fear.
We recognize that our events each year should simultaneously honor our past, embrace our present, and represent a pledge to work for a future free from discrimination.
Our Pride 2020 campaign, #StillWe, speaks to the resilience, struggles, celebrations, and pride that exist within our community. It honors the battles that have paved the way for progress, while acknowledging the tremendous work that is still left for us to do. In spite of extreme adversity facing members of our community, #StillWe must come together to Support, Love, Honor, Resist, Vote, Protest, and #StillWe must Stand Up to strive for Peace and Equality.
In Solidarity,
Capital Pride Alliance
