As an overwhelmingly white, rural community, it would be easy to simply brush off racial inequity as a “big city problem”. But it’s just not the case. Everyone should feel safe, valued and respected in our community and everywhere.

Our mission is to enhance and enrich the quality of life for ALL. That means everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or age. This also includes future generations that we’ve yet to meet.

To our Black community members, we stand with you. We are listening. We are learning.

We are challenging ourselves to do better and be better. We are acknowledging our white privilege, recognizing our implicit bias and learning the history of systemic racism in this country. We know this work is hard and can be uncomfortable, but it is vital to bring about change, equity, justice and healing.

We ask our white community to do the same. There are countless resources available. Here are some we found especially helpful:

• 4 Steps That I and Other White People Can Take to Fight Racism
• Video: Systemic Racism Explained, easy to understand, cartoon format
• How to Talk to Your Kids About Racism
• Fight Racism in America

Take a look at the word “community”. See those last five letters? There’s no community without unity. There can be no unity unless all of us join together for the good of each and every one of us.