The CBF joins The Chicago Bar Association in standing with all who seek justice for George Floyd and echoes the words of CBA President Jesse Ruiz.
The events of the past week have underscored how far our country remains from achieving the fundamental American ideal that we all stand equal before the law. Communities of color continue to experience the legal system in different ways than everyone else, and too often with deadly consequences, as the whole world has seen with the death of George Floyd and too many others.
It is incumbent on all of us who care about building a fair and accessible justice system to recognize the urgency of this moment and commit to understand and address the systemic inequities that continue to plague our community and country. As the trustees of the system, we need to lead by example as lawyers and legal professionals in both our individual and collective actions on these issues. And there is a heightened responsibility for those of us who are fortunate enough to not face these same challenges in our own lives.
These words from Dr. King are particularly appropriate right now: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We are all in this together, and together is the only way we will solve this grave problem and fulfill our nation’s ideals.
A number of the CBF’s grantee partners are working more closely on these issues, and all of these organizations are doing critical work for communities in need right now. Some other community-based efforts we encourage you to learn more about and support right now include Communities Partnering 4 Peace, My Block My Hood My City, and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.