Our primalblends family has been grief-stricken, appalled, frustrated, and angered by the tragic and unnecessary killing of George Floyd. We unequivocally condemn his murder, along with the senseless and brutal deaths of Ahmaud, Breonna, Eric, Sandra, Michael, Tamir, Trayvon, and countless unnamed victims. Sadly, our nation has a long history of racial injustice and discriminatory treatment of Black Americans. It is far beyond time for this to stop. We add our voice to the call for meaningful and positive changes that will turn the tide of systemic racism and injustice that exists in our nation. We believe there must be change in our legal and law enforcement systems to provide better protection for people of color. We also believe there must be much greater efforts made to educate our citizens on the harmful effects of racism upon all.
At primalblends, we are dialoguing with our Black team members as we strive to find ways to provide help to those on the front lines fighting racism and inequality in our nation. We are donating $5000 each to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (www.naacpldf.org) and the EmbraceRace (embracerace.org) organizations. The NAACP has been tirelessly fighting for the legal rights of Black Americans for over 75 years. EmbraceRace is an organization dedicated to educating children to engage the subject of race in a positive and productive manner – sadly, many of us adults have not learned to do this. We have also added both of these organizations to our Ripples of Hope campaign in which we donate $40 of every jersey sold. This campaign is inspired by the words of Robert F. Kennedy who spoke out against racism while in apartheid South Africa.
Our goal as a company is to help create a ripple that will have a positive effect toward desperately needed change both nationally and locally. We currently volunteer with a local elementary school where the students are overwhelmingly of color. We will continue to explore ways to open the doors of the cycling industry to people of color. We encourage all those in the primalblends community to do something positive to make a difference to bring about a more just society. There are many ways to help and below are just a few:
- Donate money or time to help an organization fighting racism
- Write a letter to your congressperson demanding meaningful change in our legal system
- Engage a person, who is a different color than you in conversation about race
- Educate yourself – read good books about these issues so you can be a better part of the solution
- Join a peaceful protest
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” There have always been Americans, of all races, who have stood against injustice and have striven to make America into a great nation. It has been gratifying to see the courage and conviction of peaceful protesters. It has also been encouraging to see many members of law enforcement not only condemn the actions of the Minneapolis police officer, but also join in prayer, arm in arm with protesters. We stand in solidarity with the black community. We also recognize and appreciate many in law enforcement who risk their lives to serve and protect others. Our hope and prayer is that this time will lead to the realization of Dr. King’s dream of a world where people are “not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
We are determined to be part of that solution.
