In Recognition of Juneteenth
We at UCS celebrate Juneteenth and the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. Further, we commit ourselves to increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our work and in our community. That means we need to reflect on various inequities. For instance, the percentage of African-American guests at UCS is 2 to 2/5 times that of our community; the percentage of African-American homeless is 3 to 4 times that of the rest of the community.
There are a variety of reasons for this. One is the lack of generational wealth. Reading His Name is George Floyd, (by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, pg. 36f), I learned that Floyd’s great-great-grandfather, born into slavery acquired 500 acres of North Carolina farmland. That would have been quite an inheritance, had white creditors not cheated him out of it. Rather than having that to build on, Floyd’s life was marked and limited by poverty.
We have a lot to celebrate. We have a lot of work to do.
Stephanie Weiner,
UCS Board President
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” Thomas Jefferson
