The brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are the latest incidents of unending violence perpetuated against black people and other communities of color in this country. Racism is embedded in the very fabric of the Greater Rochester region – our justice system, our schools, our housing policies, and certainly our transportation system. This must change.
We also acknowledge that our organization contributes to this system in certain ways. Reconnect Rochester was founded more than 10 years ago to champion transportation choices that enable a more vibrant and equitable community, and yet our membership, board, staff, and leadership are not representative of the Rochester community.
As an organization, we are reflecting on how we can hold ourselves accountable for living up to our professed values of equity and inclusion, and how we can center anti-racism in our work. Over the next several weeks and months, we will develop and share a clear set of actions aimed at holding ourselves accountable to advancing equity and inclusivity in all of our efforts. As a first step, we have signed the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group’s declaration that “Racism is a Public Health Crisis.”
