Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center stands in solidarity with the protesters across the nation who are demanding accountability in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many more of our African American family members. 

Since the dawn of slavery in the Americas, the police state has always been a threat to African American life, but now we have been living through a viral pandemic that continues to disproportionately claim Black, Brown, and Indigenous lives. 

The change our country needs must start with a radical reimagining of public safety that shifts resources toward housing, education, and healthcare, in a way that expressly benefits Black communities.

Even after safety measures and precautions were taken by our leaders to curb the spread of COVID-19, African American workers had to continue to leave our homes and risk our lives because we are overwhelmingly essential. 

Additionally, so many of us are unable to access quality healthcare, leading to delays in getting tested for symptoms to the point where the virus has become so debilitating that we’ve had to seek emergency care. 

Living in overcrowded homes, working for low wages, being denied economic mobility and quality education are all contributing factors to the victimization of our community to COVID-19, and the frustration we see from protesters who are demanding accountability for police abuse. 

At LaFHAC, we implore our leaders to start by addressing an overdue criminal legal system reform agenda, but to also prioritize each social determinant of health that has disproportionate impacts on our African American communities.

Access to housing remains at the center of all of these issues, because where you live matters. We are here to serve and be a part of the change our nation desperately needs. We start by saying their names. #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudArbery #BlackLivesMatter

Visit https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/ and https://blacklivesmatter.com for more resources.