Dear Board members, partners, change makers, and funders,

During these past few months’ we have made it our mission to address the frequent unjust and inhumane practices of systemic racism that has plagued our country and our world for generations. In this moment, as the current Interim Director of MIRA,  I am honored to be apart of the mission as we continue to reset, while providing  aid to black and brown community members during COVID-19 and partnering with our on- the-ground allies in addressing the copious infractions of  human rights of all immigrants, whether black, brown, passing , and of  white/european descent throughout Missouri. As history has illustrated to us time and time again, injustices do not discriminate and are unjust to all humanity.   As a Jamaican- American woman growing up under the pressures of systematic oppression, I have seen that my Jamaican heritage takes second seat because I am a color, not a human, due to the white supremacy culture built by colonialism and unfettered capitalism. This system continues to define BLACK, along with non-passing, as a threat, a danger, a heathen, and less-than. This dehumanizing definition has been the excuse to own, segregate, red line, dismiss, mistreat, murder, distrust, and devalue the lives of all black lives and non-passing.

We at MIRA stand unwavering with the fight for BLACK Lives. We stand with everyone who fights for the rights of all who are oppressed and say “No more!” to the inhumane treatment of black, immigrant, and refugee residents of Missouri.  As stated during another time such as these: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail

Moving forward we at MIRA ask for your patience as our organization continues to undergo a reconstruction. We are continuing to share information that will support all Missourians regarding COVID-19, jobs, housing, DACA, immigration, and voting rights. We ask our partners and funders to not look for business as usual but instead for something transformational. We will be looking for the same from you as well. We ask our members, including our changemakers who do not identify as a person of color, to continue to support our efforts and the efforts of those rooted in dismantling white supremacy. We ask our members and our changemakers who do not identify as a part of the African diaspora or black to look into their own culture and to be honest with themselves about how racism and colorism has played a role not only in your community but in their families. What steps are we willing to take in order to dismantle white supremacy? For our members who identify as a part of the African diaspora or black, please take care of mind, body, and spirit. And know that we stand with you.