All of us on the ACP Board are encouraged about the tremendous change that the Black Lives Matter movement has brought to people in every community in the US In our conversations with each other and with our friends, we have learned that personal that story is the most compelling. Knowing people personally or hearing stories told at rallies and in the media brings home the pervasive racism and violence endured by Black people. This threat of violence is insidious and affects children and how parents should try to educate and protect them. We are retelling stories that move us to deepen our understanding of others, increase our empathy, and embrace the changes that Black Lives Matter stands for.
We realize that our approach to change in ACP is also about conversation and the power of storytelling. We encourage everyone, but especially white people, to listen to the extraordinary, and daily, injustices that Black people experience. We encourage the retelling of those stories so that others understand the urgency of this historic moment. National polls record a shift in public opinion that is the basis of hope and we believe that protests and dialogue must continue until there are not only real changes in policy and practice, but also also in thoughts.
In the end, a cultural change has been carried out in many fields for a long time, with some successes and many backlashes. The forces behind both White Supremacy and the Radical Right are powerful and each step forward brings actual and rhetorical attacks. Those of us in the abortion world understand this path well. More people are in favor of abortion rights and the harm of abortion stigma but the number of laws passed against access to abortion is unprecedented.
The death of George Floyd, and the many deaths of Black people before him, has revealed the racist underbelly of the police, governments at all levels, and segments of our communities. These revelations make room for change, hopefully enough of a change of heart and mind to create cultural change. Black Lives Matter accelerated change. This work requires steady pressure and commitment in the long haul. We all need to be prepared for more backlash and not back down. Everyone who wants a better world, without prejudice and stigma, needs to add their strength to promote this change.
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