Official Statement Against Local Hate Crime
"To create the brightest future possible for our children, we must urgently work together in love and action to disrupt racism and the systems and beliefs that perpetuate it in our community."
Dear Community,
I am angry and grieved to learn of the hate crime committed against a Black Student from Whatcom Middle School last week. This behavior is not acceptable here or in any community. While we dedicate this week to celebrating Black liberation from slavery on Juneteenth, we are met with another sobering reminder that persistent and pervasive racism, and the threat of violence that comes with it, continues to inflict pain and trauma throughout our communities of color.
Racism is so deeply seeped into the soil of America that it impacts every single one of us, including our children. With equity being one of Lydia Place’s core values, our work must play a critical role in efforts to bring about racial, economic, and social justice. We cannot address and dismantle the root causes of homelessness and nurture a community of belonging without it. We must use our voice to address racism and oppression to leverage positive change, and also commit to holding each other accountable, even when it is uncomfortable.
At Lydia Place, we will continue to create space for us to dive deeply into understanding how we accept and perpetuate racism, and what we must do to dismantle it, both as individuals and as an organization. Further, we are committed to helping our community find its voice and common power to address racism at all levels. I invite you to join us in expanding our collective education and anti-racist work by checking out the resources provided at the end of this section.
To create the brightest future possible for our children, we must urgently work together in love and action to disrupt racism and the systems and beliefs that perpetuate it in our community.
In solidarity,
Ashley Thomasson
Executive Director
EQUITY
We believe it is our responsibility to actively challenge systems of oppression. We recognize a
majority of those experiencing homelessness have been marginalized.
In client relations:
We start from a place of learning; recognizing that the client voice must
shape our work.
In the workplace:
At all levels of the agency, we dedicate time and space to engaging in
meaningful dialogue around our individual and collective contributions to inequity.
We hold each other accountable for our missteps and embrace discomfort in pursuit of social
justice. We work to reflect the diversity of the community we serve.
We look for ways to evolve as an agency rather than accepting the status quo.
In the larger community:
In our interactions with community members, donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders,
we use our voice to address racism and oppression, and leverage positive change.