The systemic inequities that Black people have been forced to endure for generations are an affront to the values we hold. The brutal violence perpetrated against George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Tony McDade, Atatiana Jefferson, Dominique Clayton, and countless others is a heinous injustice from which we cannot look away. Many of these injustices have been perpetrated by a government that claims to secure liberty and justice for all. We hang our heads in shame at the cruelty passed out in our collective name.
Nowhere is safe from the dangerous effects of systemic racism, including scholarly publishing. The world looks to the scholarly community as the foundation of knowledge, and it is imperative that we are at the forefront of eliminating racism from our work and from ourselves. We must be antiracist in the words we publish and in the decisions we make. We cannot allow history to be rewritten or ignored.
We implore all companies within the scholarly community to rise to the “Urgency of Now” in the implementation of policies that will break the bonds of systemic racism. This issue is not a one-time social action but a call upon us ALL to commit to the business of inclusion and equality for African Americans in this country.
We at J&J are publicly committing to doing everything we can to fight systemic racism. As a disproportionately white organization, J&J has work to do within our own doors to address inequity and inclusivity. J&J will continue taking concrete steps towards forming our internal Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, which will play an active role in ensuring the actions we take as a company are consistent with the values we profess. We will expand our recruitment efforts to include local historically Black colleges and universities. We are also collecting and promoting resources for our staff to show support for the Black Lives Matter cause and related organizations.
This fight is not new. We look to those who fought before us for guidance. We listen. We learn. We support. We act.
#BlackLivesMatter
Local and Regional Resources
- Take Action Chapel Hill — “a grassroots coalition of community members intent on striking a blow to white supremacy and all forms of oppression” by providing “legal-related funds and other support for current and future defendants in the struggle against white supremacy in Chapel Hill, NC and surrounding areas.”
- Donate to local food banks (food is ALWAYS needed in times of crisis)
- Raleigh Food Banks – https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/nc-raleigh
- Durham Food Banks – https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/nc-durham
- Wilson Temple accepts gift cards
- LGBT Center for Raleigh – The LGBT Center is in the heart of downtown Raleigh and is currently offering refuge and medical assistance to protesters who need it. They need donations to purchase for supplies such as first aid kits and water. They are also accepting new volunteers if you’d like to help in their current efforts.
- Emancipate NC – Emancipate NC is working to help educate and advocate for change in our area. They are also collecting donations to help bail out protesters who are wrongfully arrested. Per their website, “Through community education, we work to subvert structural racism, especially as it relates to the criminal legal system.”
- Southern Coalition for Social Justice – “The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications.”
National Places to Donate
- Black Lives Matter donation sources – https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate
- Black Lives Matter — “A global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”
- The Innocence Project — “exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.”
- NAACP (the mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons)
- Legal Defense Fund – the country’s first human and civil rights law firm
- ACLU – provides a broad range of legal services for civil rights issues
- MIGIZI (Native cultural education center) – a Minnesota group that could use support as their center was burned during the protests