Like so many of you, our hearts are filled with sadness and anger over the outrageous deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many, many others.
As we started to write this post on June 1st, police officers were tear-gassing peaceful protesters in Washington DC. That was just one of many acts of police violence against protesters this week. We stand in solidarity with these and other protesters across the country demonstrating against institutional and systemic racism in policing and all its other forms.
It is this systemic racism that leads to police brutality against African Americans and other minorities. It is systemic racism that contributes to higher COVID-19 mortality rates for African Americans. It is systemic racism that exposes low-income communities and communities of color to higher levels of air pollution. It is systemic racism that means families of color are more likely to be displaced by rising rents or evictions.
While RAMP focuses on asthma, we recognize that the inequities at the heart of asthma disparities are shared across many issues. As we collectively struggle through this crisis, we are committed to holding equity at the center of our work, to support those most directly affected by systemic racism, and to stand in solidarity with our partners.