Black Lives Matter

Beyond the Streets is committed to seeing the possibility of life free from exploitation. We believe in a world beyond abuses of power, where people are free to be empowered to make their own choices and to thrive in their lives. We want freedom from violence, from coercion, from stereotype and from inequality. We know that the injustice we respond to is not isolated, but part of a much bigger picture of global injustice. Though we work alongside women – and our commitment is to see women free from sexual exploitation – it is clear that many of the lines of inequality we see overlap into other areas, including structural and institutional racism.
We want to express deep sadness and grief over the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmad Aubry, Breonna Taylor and many more. Racially motivated violence and murder is utterly abhorrent. Black Lives Matter. We stand with many around the world in solidarity and commit to working against racism of all forms.
To do this we need to listen – and listen deeply – to the lived experiences of the black community and to bear witness to their pain. We need to interrogate any ways in which we may have been complicit in upholding racism and white supremacy. As a charity, we need to look closely at ourselves through this lens and have difficult conversations with our staff and volunteers about these issues.
Here are some anti-racist resources that are particularly useful for white people to engage with. Over the next few weeks and months, we commit to posting regularly on issues of race and racism, and our journey as a charity, as we turn towards discomfort in order to move towards freedom for all.