Today we pause to reflect & commemorate Juneteenth. In the spirit of our commitment to cultivate an anti-racist culture at Bluecoats, we're reading, listening & sharing the following resources.

We have work to do, and a critical first step has been to form an advisory council of staff, members, and alumni to lead Bluecoats as we seek to learn and educate our participants, staff, and volunteers about racism and to incorporate anti-racist policies into our organization. This council will work in the near term on educational and conversational initiatives, and in the long term on broader goals for an anti-racist, diverse, and inclusive Bluecoats Community.

Ric Brown and Bryen Warfield are leading this council and have assembled a team that, along with executive leadership and participant representatives, will begin this important work.

As the events of the past several days have made even more clear, racism - systemic and individual - remains the central problem facing the United States in 2020. We are saddened and outraged by the unlawful and senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and untold other Americans of color before them. Our hearts go out to their families and our African American community members. It is time to face the reality of this crisis head on.