06/03/2020
Please check out this statement and resources from the Peace Lab.
“Without a struggle, there can be no progress” – Frederick Douglass
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is
made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons
nor property will be safe” – Frederick Douglass
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk
humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it " -
The Talmud
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the
world” – Desmond Tutu
The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab was created to address conflicts and injustices that are prevalent in the U.S.
and beyond, through education, research, dialogue and activism. We are committed to consciousness-raising and education about violence and oppression and to the promotion of nonviolent action for effective, sustained, and transformative systemic changes.
Police brutality, racially-motivated violence,
and disproportional health disparities are not new, but they have come to wider public attention recently
due to the COVID pandemic and the brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
The recent protests and unrest in Indianapolis have been responses to these events and to the killings by
police this month of Dreasjon Reed and McHale Rose in our own home city. Many more casualties have
been unnamed or forgotten.
The responses of protestors reflect the ongoing trauma of many in our community and are rooted in the long term and harmful impact of colonization, slavery, segregation, racial terror, and unequal justice.
Recent events call us to act and to consider where we can best serve, given our diverse identities but our collective agency. We recognize that without real and practical knowledge, we can be of little use; so that is our starting point:
Here is a suggested reading list, some organizations
that we are following, joining, and supporting, as well as guidance on confronting misinformation,
protesting and more:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZKmMDid_aobs2l3kfswLspGdqAFFmOYK/view?usp=sharing
We share them with you, our peers and colleagues, in the spirit of peace and solidarity, and encourage you to share them with your networks, read and talk about them with your friends and family, and share with us your own suggestions for further readings and actions.
