Like many across the nation, we are appalled by the actions that ended the life of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and many African Americans before them. The collective anger and sadness that is felt by our community is palpable. We saw those feelings turn into action, demonstrated by justifiable protests across the country calling for needed change.
“Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a throwaway political issue to be bandied about when convenient. It is a real and present danger that must be met head-on.”- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Here at St. Stephen’s Community House, we recognize that silence isn’t acceptable, and we must be deliberate with our actions. We took this time to reflect and asked the question, “How can we as an agency do better?”
- We will support those who stand up against racism and hatred.
- We are committed to our staff and our values of faith, dignity, connections, security, advocacy, and impact.
- We will lift up our vision of Linden becoming a community of togetherness.
- We are committed to be a place where our neighbors feel safe, empowered, and heard.
St. Stephen’s Community House is proud to join the over 750 business and nonprofit leaders that have signed a letter to Columbus City Council in support of their resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. The resolution, “acknowledges the scourge of racism and supports our City’s efforts to address its impact on public health.”
There is an enormous amount of work to be done, and we don’t have all the answers. But we are committed to this work to create long-lasting change in the Linden community and beyond because, black lives matter.