On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered. The Farm & Wilderness and Ninevah Foundations stand for the Quaker values of simplicity, peacemaking, integrity, community, equity, and service. The Board of Trustees unequivocally stands against racism, hatred, police brutality, and condemns the murder of George Floyd.
Quakers believe that there is that of God in every person. Trustees stand with our camp families, alumni, staff, local neighbors, and those with whom we do business, in resisting injustice. We recognize that while we are a predominantly White organization with deep roots in social justice, sadly only recently have many of us been forced to viscerally wake up to the reality our Black neighbors and colleagues have been living for 400 years. We continue to learn how to be an anti-racist organization and we continue to be watchful for ways in which our White supremacy culture is antithetical to the organization we have strived to be since our inception.
We know some names: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Eric Gardner, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, and hundreds of others. Let us forever speak the names we know, and remember that there are countless names we do not. May we be as stalwart and courageous as 17-year-old Darnella Fraizer who recorded Mr. Floyd’s heart-rending final 9 minutes. May we use our White privilege like James Ian Tyson who stopped Bree Newsome from being tased on a flagpole by police as she pulled down a confederate flag. May we continue to be as appalled in the weeks, months, and years to come as we are today, and may we continue to build a community where children and young people learn to live together, have difficult conversations, and practice equity and peace. May we never be afraid to say the truth: Black Lives Matter.
From the Board of Trustees at Farm & Wilderness and Ninevah Foundation