Recognizing Juneteenth

This year, Juneteenth will be a day off for staff at the Simons Foundation.

As we have seen from the horrific violence against black men and women in the last month in the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, our ideal of a fair, just and safe society for all citizens is not a reality. Our issues go far beyond reform of the justice system; the country has not yet reckoned with its history of slavery and racism and must begin that work now fully and in earnest.

The Simons Foundation recognizes the pervasiveness of structural racism and will work with purpose to apply our principles of fairness and progress to this complex challenge.

Eliminating racism will be a long haul, but it can be accomplished — and it must be accomplished if our nation is to be the land of opportunity and freedom for all.

As one deliberate step toward those goals, we will take time today to reflect on the state of things as they are, and consider what we can do to contribute to positive change.

Read about Juneteenth here.

Sincerely,

Marilyn and Jim Simons