It’s now been two weeks since the horrifying video came to light of George Floyd slowly dying under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer – on the heels of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many other Black people killed at the hands of law enforcement. 

It’s hard to add anything to the power and eloquence of Black leaders and so many others taking to the streets to make their voices heard in response. Instead, I’d like to share a handful of comments from the past week that bear repeating, and begin to articulate Commonwealth’s response to this moment. 

“Anger is a legitimate response to social injustice, and it is psychologically healthy.  One of the most important things to do now as a nation is to hold space for the anger, the rational anger that’s emerging from groups of Black people who [are grieving] all of the lives that we lost in recent years to this kind of violence.” 

– Dr. Wizdom Powell, Director of the Health Disparities Institute and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health

“Sometimes, I find myself in a dark place. The systems are so entrenched. There are just so many forces pushing back to the status quo. There are so many harms done to Black people daily, in ways large and small. It’s very hard to see how real change comes … how real equality comes.”

– Private comments, shared with permission, from a Black, Female Senior Executive in Financial Services

“…amid my sadness I do feel hopeful; antiracist resistance always fuels my hope. My hope is that one day she (Breonna Taylor) will become an icon whose tragic murder led to the transformation of America and the nightmare will end”

– Ibram X. Kendi, historian and author, How to Be an Antiracist

These words make clear the enormity of the challenge we face to understand, accept, and work to overcome 400 years of racial injustice. We need to listen to outrage, sit with despair, take responsibility, and strive for hope. 

I want to say clearly that Commonwealth stands with the protesters raising their voices with dignity and power against institutional racism and violence against Black people. 

We also understand that statements matter only to the extent they are backed by action.

To that end, we commit to:

Make racial equity our work too. The data are overwhelmingly clear that the distribution of wealth is not only an economic or class issue, but a racial one as well. This means addressing racial injustice is not someone else’s work, it’s a part of our work too. We will continue on a path to integrate racial equity into our work to make wealth possible for everyone.

Focus on institutions and systemic change. We understand neither racism nor financial insecurity can be overcome by individual actions alone; we have to focus on the institutions and systems that determine what options people have. We will redouble our focus on institutions and systems, and avoid the trap of expecting individuals to solve problems not of their own making.

Look at ourselves and do better. We accept that we are part of a broken system, and cannot be part of the solution without a willingness to look deeply in the mirror. In the near term, for Commonwealth, this means following through on a commitment our board and team has made over the past year to elevate our focus on racial equity in our work and our internal practices.

Progress on deeply entrenched, complex problems – institutional racism and widespread financial insecurity both – demands sustained effort and focus. In the months ahead, the urgency alive today may dissipate; we must commit to actions that reset our compass and ensure we’ve set a new course.

I ask for your partnership and support toward that aspiration.

Timothy Flacke
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Commonwealth