Statement Regarding Recent Murders of Black Americans

A statement from Warren Pepicelli, Manager of the New England Joint Board, on the recent murders of black Americans:

“We are sickened by the recent murders of Black civilians in the United States. These murders show the insidious nature of the systemic racism that has plagued this country for centuries. The system is not broken, it was built this way. As a union predominantly comprised of women, immigrants, and people of color, we know that the specters of racism and police violence are a constant presence in the lives of many of our members. These times have made this reality painfully clear. In our mourning we express our anger and grief but we also recommit to the values that built our union in the first place; solidarity, unity, justice, and love. We invoke these values to form a foundation for a better society, one which we will fight to build through working-class solidarity. We will replace hate with love, oppression with justice, violence with peace, and division with unity.”