We at Reading In Motion call on every member of our organization and community to work together to combat racism, to consciously eliminate inequity, and to create change. We cannot move toward a better future unless we do it together, for everyone.

These past few weeks our nation has watched the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd last May. As the collective grief and outrage we felt last year was renewed, 20-year old Daunte Wright was killed by police just 10 miles from where Derek Chauvin’s trial took place. To add to the anguish and fear our communities of color are experiencing as a result of this racist, institutionalized violence, police in Chicago fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo, and the traumatizing video was released to the public. In the last year, we’ve seen anti-AAPI hate incidents increase drastically, and we mourn the losses of Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Elcias R Hernandez-Ortiz, Hyun Jung Grant, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue in the Atlanta spa shooting in March. And this week, investigations unfold into another potential hate crime in Indianapolis. Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones at the FedEx facility.

We’re elated to see justice served by the Chauvin verdict today, and we also know that the work doesn’t end here. To our BIPOC students, educators, and community members: We see you, we hear you, and we support you. We are not free until we are all free, and our country’s systems and institutions are not working unless they are working for us all. And to our non-BIPOC supporters and allies: We must do better. While Reading In Motion works to close the gap in literacy education, many other incredible organizations are doing important antiracism work in and beyond our communities. Below is a list of just a few, and we’re calling on you to share your support and get involved.