A Statement of Solidarity Advocating for Human Rights,Social Justice, & Racial Equity
Dear Friends and Allies,
Given recent events in the United States, Justice At Last wants to affirm our organization’s value for Black Lives. We stand with the Black community and with other people around the world for the end of systemic racism, systemic injustice, and police brutality.
Justice At Last is grounded in a commitment to human rights, the fight for justice for all victims of human trafficking, and the creation of a world where justice eradicates all forms of oppressive exploitation and empowers victims of trafficking to heal and gain self-sufficiency.
The two weeks since George Floyd’s death have once again focused national attention on the extensive injustices that still exist in our society and the systems that oppress and devalue Black lives. These oppressive systems have created fundamental inequalities in our society long before recent events.
In the anti-human trafficking field these oppressive systems result in the continuous over-policing of communities of color and the continuous arrest of victims of human trafficking - particularly those who are indigenous and persons of color - for crimes their exploiters have forced them to commit. Too often, the legal system actively silences or disbelieves survivors of all forms of human trafficking from indigenous communities and communities of color. Further, communities of color are left to struggle alone with injustices and trauma, including those that are trafficked.
Justice At Last believes survivors.
We are committed to restoring and empowering communities to heal from the victimization of trafficking. We stand against a criminal legal system that disproportionately targets Black Americans.
We stand against the widespread disenfranchisement of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities and the silencing of their voices.
We stand in solidarity with Black communities. We hear you. We mourn with you. We are committed to fighting with and for you.
We commit to continually analyze our internal procedures and practices to ensure that our organization is anti-racist and anti-oppressive.
We commit to holding our community partners, law enforcement partners, the courts, and other larger systems accountable to the fair and equitable treatment of the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and all other communities of color.
We stand against police brutality in all forms.
We commit to providing comprehensive legal services that continue to challenge systemic racism and inequalities, in order to restore the voices of trafficked persons who have been silenced throughout the legal system.
We acknowledge that the systematic issues of racism are complex and deeply rooted in American society. We will not solve them quickly. But there are steps that we can – and must – take today.
We ask that all members of our community to join us in standing for justice in this moment – and continue to seek opportunities to take action moving forward. If you are looking for a place to begin your own anti-racist journey, our staff and our Advisory Council members suggest these resources as a place to begin:
Donate to Minnesota Freedom Fund to provide bail funds for those being jailed for participation in protests.
Educate yourself – this list is a good place to start for book, film, and podcast recommendations.
Talk to your family about race – these books are great for children.
Deepen your commitment and your work by engaging with these additional resources.
Together, we must do the work of turning our commitments into action. Only together can we put an end to systemic racism, systemic injustice, and police brutality.
In solidarity,
The Staff, Board of Directors, & Advisory Council of Justice At Last
P.S. Over the last week, our Advisory Council members have shared graceful and brilliant statements with us, which have helped guide the commitments we outline here. We look forward to sharing some of these statements with our community in a follow up email later this week. We will also share additional anti-racism resources in that email.