Blog: To Our Community
June 4, 2020

To our community, 

We are heartbroken and angry. The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others before them are a manifestation of systemic racism. We stand with protesters across the country in their expressions of pain and outrage, and we vocally condemn police brutality and the systems that perpetuate it. These murders and widespread police aggression are not isolated incidents, but a horrific pattern that must stop now.

As an organization, Empower Schools was founded to transform the way schools and school systems operate to improve outcomes for students least well-served by the status quo. We are hopeful because through our work, we believe it is possible to dismantle systems of institutionalized inequality. Across the school partnerships we support, 80% of students are students of color, and at its core, our work aims to empower educators, and communities of color so that they can exercise the power that is rightfully theirs and has often been denied them by discriminatory systems.

This work is more important now than ever. We stand with the local leaders and boards of empowerment zones and partnerships around the country who fight for justice in their communities every day. We echo their unapologetic statements: black lives matter. We are proud of our teammates, who are reflecting on the ways that we can make a greater impact and embody our anti-racist values in all the work we do. 

And yet, we know we still have a long way to go. We will push every day to better live out our commitment to racial equity, and we will listen to internal and external black voices as we constantly strive to be more effective. As we continually learn and grow, we are determined to continue to fight for justice every day so that students and families, particularly in black and brown communities, have the excellent, equitable education they deserve. 

Beliefs are nothing without action and outcomes. We will continue to do the work, and we’re more committed now than ever. We hope that you will continue to stand with us.

In solidarity, 

Empower Schools