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Stand Up. Speak Out. Act for Humanity.
I recently committed to a six-part series to explore our community through the lens of racial equity. This initiative, led by Stamford Cradle to Career in collaboration with the Ferguson Library, has been a humbling and eye-opening journey.
Two weeks ago, during a deeply emotional activity highlighting the stark disparities in privilege based solely on race, a brilliant colleague said this to the white-identifying participants:
“Thank you for being here. Your presence here means you care. But now, we don’t need you to just listen—we need you to stand up and speak.”
Her words have echoed in my mind ever since.
For eleven days, I have listened in disbelief as programs we and others around the country built with passion and dedication—programs designed to serve the most vulnerable people here in our community and from around the world—were dismantled without notice. I have listened in fear, realizing that all federal funding for NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) was to be frozen with less than 24 hours warning. Should that decision move forward, it will devastate the human service sector and cripple organizations that provide life-saving support to those who need it most.
One phrase, woven into my daily work at JFS, keeps coming to mind: “We strive to minimize the suffering of others.” Everyday we work to meet people of all ages, stages, and background where they are, and lift them up to reduce challenges in their lives. But now our ability to do this work is severely impaired. So now, it is time not just to listen, but to stand up and speak.
Today, when directives from the highest levels of power are telling professional organizations to halt services to vulnerable people—we need you.
When politics are being used to define individual worth—we need you.
When compassion is replaced with indifference—we need you.
We need you to stand up, to speak and to act - not for a political party, but for humanity. Support those in our community who have been left without vital services. Extend compassion to those who are struggling to understand. However you can, in whatever way you are able, join us in taking actionable steps to minimize the suffering of others.
Listen, yes—but also stand up. Speak up. Act for good.
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