A Commitment to Racial Justice from Y.O.U.

The injustices faced by the Black community and other communities of color in this country are oppressive, perpetual, systemic, and sometimes deadly. Youth & Opportunity United is outraged by recent events and outraged that events like these are not in any way new.

Ahmaud Arbery

Breonna Taylor

George Floyd

Tony McDade

We will commit to saying their names. We will acknowledge that there are too many names to say and too many names that are not known.

Black Lives Matter.

Y.O.U. is an organization committed to youth success. It is heartbreaking to reflect upon the accomplishments that could have been possible if lives were not taken needlessly, if young Black youth did not find barriers at every turn, and if every youth of color entered a just, safe, and peaceful world each day. As a society we have robbed ourselves of leaders, artists, activists, caregivers, scholars, and healers.

Black Lives Matter.

Y.O.U. must continue to address both the malice and the complacent silence that impact our world. We stand firmly committed to serving youth and families who are marginalized by white supremacy, by this country's educational debt, by over-policing and police brutality, and by a multitude of other daily injustices.

Y.O.U. will continue to step into the opportunity gap in our communities, providing critical programs and services to youth and families, and working towards a world where this gap does not exist. We will speak out against injustice and work towards equity. Y.O.U. will do this in acknowledgement that, like our world, we are a multiracial and multicultural organization. We commit to working together, to listening and learning, to stepping forward and stepping back, and to speaking up.