A Message From EarlyWorks
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” — Lilla Watson
COVID-19 has ravaged Detroit, disproportionately impacting Black people and resulting in devastating losses for families and communities. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others have once again exposed the brutality cultivated by racist systems. And Christian Cooper’s Central Park video makes clear that these systems get fuel from the racist culture that pervades our country, consciously and subconsciously. Your Black colleagues are not okay — and you shouldn’t be either. In the words of our friend Lory Ivey Alexander, “Quiet as it is kept, America is killing all of us.”
A Black-led movement demanding police accountability and justice has galvanized anger, grief and frustration, and helped to cultivate hope in a future rooted in true belonging. People around the world are organizing. This pivotal uprising will shape not just our communities and our countries, but our collective future.
We joined an ongoing weekly conversation hosted by James Andrews and Peace Inside Live titled “The Other America | stories. healing. action” that introduced the idea of how we might adopt a “calling in” versus “calling out” culture. There is power in not just drawing attention to biased behaviors and actions, but also elevating the ways in which we can invite people to engage each other in a more just and loving way.
As an anti-racist company, EarlyWorks stands in solidarity with those pressing for justice. In addition to donating our time and money to social justice organizations and causes, some of which we list below and encourage you to support, we are asking ourselves: How do we use this time to come together to equitably shape a more beautiful future? This is the exciting work that lies ahead for our city and country.
We see that our work to abolish racism and racist systems is something that will not happen quickly now and then disappear overnight. There are weeks, months and years ahead of us in this pursuit and we’re steeling ourselves, and nurturing ourselves, to be able to stand and act in solidarity for the long haul. We believe in the inevitability of a beautiful and glorious future that looks fundamentally more equitable than the present.
A non-comprehensive list of organizations we collectively support and encourage you to learn more about:
