Black Lives Matter

The brutality behind the killing of George Floyd is not limited to just Minneapolis. What happened to Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and to Christian Cooper in Central Park—these tragedies are all evidence of systemic, recurrent, persistent racial injustice. We are angry, we are outraged, and we are grieving. And while our hearts are breaking, our will is building.

To all of our colleagues and clients who are people of color, and especially our Black colleagues and clients: We stand with you. To the communities in which Black business owners live and work: We grieve with you. To those, all around the globe, who are protesting peacefully, demanding justice and an end to violence: We rise up with you.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. Our mission⁠—to drive economic mobility⁠—is part of the fight against systemic inequities, including racism. Today, we must do that work with greater speed, unyielding commitment, and increasing courage. We can and will accelerate our programs to serve more Black-owned businesses to recover, rebuild, and regenerate. We commit our voices, our teams, and our platform to the fight for racial and social justice.

We will not be silent in the face of injustice. We will not be complicit with racism in America.

Our team has compiled the below resources for engaging in anti-racist work.

In solidarity,

Luz Urrutia, Chief Executive Officer and S. Jamila Buckner, Chief People Officer

Anti-racism Resources

Donate:

• Donate to George Floyd’s family. There are several ongoing fundraisers for George Floyd’s family. George’s brother Philonise Floyd organized a fund to fund the funeral.

Take action:

• Sign the petition at JusticeForBigFloyd.com Signing the petition will email Mayor Jacob Frey and DA Michael Freeman demanding that all four officers be arrested and charged for murder, on your behalf. It’s a super petition that emails all offices and individuals involved in the fight for justice.
• Text ‘FLOYD’ to 55156 to sign Color of Change’s petition. This will link you to Color of Change’s petition, which will send a letter to Mayor Jacob Frey and District Attorney Michael Freeman demanding the arrest of and murder charge for all four officers.
• Text ‘JUSTICE’ to 668366 to sign MoveOn’s petition. This petition demands that all four cops involved in Floyd’s death should be charged with murder and held fully accountable. All you have to do is respond with your US zip code.
• Visit JustCities, LiveFree, and PICO California for local action initiatives.

Connect with community-based organizations working to dismantle racism and violence:

• BlackVisionsCollective
• Campaign Zero
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
• NAACP
• North Star Health Collective

Support Black-owned small businesses with your dollars:

• Here are some #OpportunityFunded Black-owned businesses:
  • Braid It Up – San Jose
  • Cupcakin’ – Berkeley
  • Doc’s Q’in Pit Stop – Modesto
  • Mosaic Global Transportation – Redwood City and San Jose
  • Red Door Catering – Oakland
  • Southern Girl Desserts – Los Angeles
• Bay Area Black-owned food businesses
• Los Angeles Black-owned restaurants
• Fresno Black-owned businesses
• Find more on WeBuyBlack, The Black Wallet, or Official Black Wall Street.

Make your voice heard:

• Complete your 2020 Census Form at 2020Census.gov
• Check your voter registration status at Vote.org

The graphic is a non-comprehensive list of deaths at the hands of police in the U.S. since Eric Garner’s death in July, 2014. Data source: NPR, design by Beneficial State Bank.