Wednesday, October 22, 2014

A message from our partners. . .


 
October 20, 2014

To:        Dallas Faces Race Partners and Subscribers

From:    Lauren Embrey and the Embrey Family Foundation
             Cecilia and Garrett Boone and The Boone Family

             Foundation
 
As Dallas’ major racial equity initiative, Dallas Faces Race is
confronted with a real life and immediate situation in the
aftermath of Ebola patients being diagnosed in our city.
         
We are disturbed by reports about the racial bias that
immigrant communities and communities of color have been
experiencing as a result of Ebola panic.

People in the Vickery Meadows neighborhood are experiencing
bias related to job security, service providers and taunting at
sporting events.  Others are being turned away from restaurants
and being told that they brought this disease to the US.

We understand that people are afraid.  Targeting victims of Ebola

and shunning whole communities is not going to keep us safe.  

We know the people of Dallas are good people who care about

each other.  While we may not intend to discriminate or divide,
that is in fact the impact of individual and institutional decisions
over the last few weeks.

We call on Dallas Faces Race Partners, our community and our

public officials to do three important things in this moment.

First:  Call out discriminatory behavior whenever and wherever

you hear it or see it. Let people know that things like refusing to
serve people at local businesses on the basis of their looks or
national identities is not legal, and not okay.

Second:  Show your support to the communities of Vickery

Meadows and the nonprofits that serve them.  Vickery Meadow
Youth Development Foundation is one example, learn more at
www.vmydf.com.  And if you are interested in volunteering to
support individual or group needs or neighborhood projects,
please contact Ellen Mata at Northpark Presbyterian Church
for more information:  emata@northparkpres.org or
214-363-5457 ext. 24.

Third:  Make your own statement to your contacts condemning

xenophobic and racially biased actions in the aftermath of this        
crisis. Share success stories and lift up positive examples.

Our country and city have experienced such waves before.

Xenophobia and targeting innocent people for punishment
were problems when we first earned of AIDS, H1N1, and SARS.
There were terrible consequences for communities at the heart
of those crises.  It's up to us to step forward, broaden
awareness and make sure we don't repeat history. Ebola will
be solved, but the impact of divisive behavior will last much
longer.

Read more:   Dallas’ Vickery Meadow residents enduring backlash
over Ebola. The Dallas Morning News, October 6, 2014
 
Copyright © 2014 Dallas Faces Race, All rights reserved.
Our website is: http://dallasfacesrace.com

       

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