We must do better

Our hearts are so heavy, as the city of Minneapolis and the rest of the nation is grieving the loss of George Floyd. We want to send our love to everyone who is mourning. 

While addiction can affect anyone, it is time for us as an organization to get real about one thing: the opioid crisis disproportionately affects black communities. This is one of a long list of injustices; social inequity, systemic barriers to health coverage and health care, and, as brutally illustrated by the killing of George Floyd, institutional violence. It is no longer enough to talk about creating solutions, we must define the issues, and acknowledge our roles in them.

The time is now for meaningful change; for systems that perpetuate socioeconomic, educational, and legal inequality to be dismantled. The time is now for accountability; for those who seek to do harm to be punished, and those in positions of power to be held to higher standards. The time is now for honesty; for us to have difficult conversations about our own privileges, and to ask how we can make this world more just. 

The time is now for us to be better allies; to listen, to learn, and to create progress through accountability and action.

Thank you.

In solidarity,

The team at the Steve Rummler HOPE Network