The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery have been devastating to witness—and, I hope, a turning point in our lives and times. For the past few weeks, I have been helping my clients give voice to their support for #BlackLivesMatter and the protests that demand change. My efforts to help them express their anguish over these horrific events and their sincere desire to take meaningful action run in parallel with my own consciousness and a long overdue collective awakening.
During that time, I have struggled to find my own voice. There is an old saying that speech is silver and silence is golden. No longer. Silence allows evil, injustice and hatred to flourish. Silence is a coverup. Silence is cowardice. I realize that there are no perfect words, but it is important to stand up and remain silent no more. What I want to say is that I stand in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter. I am committed to working with others who seek justice and racial equity. And I am committed to listening, learning and finding solutions. While none of us can be certain of what comes next, I know this is the first step.
The pursuit of justice, equitable treatment and fairness must infuse everything we say, and more importantly, everything we do.
