Another life, Daunte Wright’s, was taken by police. Eyes across the world are on the Minneapolis area and they are witness to an unending story of injustice and pain. We grieve with those who knew and loved Daunte. He was unique and special to his friends and family, to his girlfriend and young son. Unfortunately, Daunte Wright is not alone. His name has been added to a long list of Black men and women whose lives have been taken, suddenly and violently, from the world.
Our community, on the Northside and across Minneapolis, has experienced and re-experienced overwhelming pain this past year. The killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright bring a collective grief that is all too familiar for many of us. We are not surprised yet we have to continue fearing for our children and neighbors, our bodies, our community.
Many of us feel an old fire inside, too. Fire that has fueled the Black community for generations. We organize coalitions, lead movements, and care for people with food, conversation, and love because that is what our ancestors have done, that is what our grandmothers have done, and that is how we will continue to make change and heal.
We deeply hope that over the next few weeks George Floyd and his family receive the justice they deserve. In time, we hope Daunte Wright and his family receive the justice they deserve. But we know this is most often not the case for Black lives.
Our people are planting glorious seeds of change. Together we are building a city and world where Black bodies and Black lives can move freely with agency and choice. We must keep our focus. Police violence and the killing of Black and brown bodies must end. It must end in Minneapolis and it must end in our country.
I ask for your compassion and support for our community. Black people are hurting, we are angry, and our children deserve better. No matter what, we will root ourselves in the mission, using food and connection to build health, wealth, and social change in Minneapolis and beyond.
Peace,
Tasha Powell
President
