All Black lives in the past have mattered.
All Black lives matter now.
All Black lives will always matter.
Our country is facing a moment of reckoning.
We, at Prout Alliance, mourn the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and the countless individuals before them, who have had their lives cut short by racism and the violence it brings. A civilized society must not tolerate such acts of violence.
In solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters and their allies, we condemn all killings of Black people. These murders are a part of our nation’s long, ongoing history of racism and white supremacy. We are committed to transforming those local, national, and global institutions that perpetuate systemic exploitation, resulting in poverty, cultural suppression, high rates of incarceration, and substandard education, housing, and health care. We heed the call for individuals and organizations to adopt anti-racist practices and policies. We commit to doing the deep personal work necessary for their effective implementation and fundamental institutional change. Finally, we support the demands for an immediate redress of this pervasive and structural racism, starting with the justice system, but not ending until we have made it possible for every Black person to experience the best of what this country has to offer.
Racism grows out of capitalism’s culture of domination and dehumanization and its violent structures of economic exploitation and inequality. History bears testimony to the fact that capitalists abducted and enslaved 12 million innocent Black people in Africa and transported them to the Americas to maximize profits. The violent, exploitative structure of capitalism takes many forms including racism, sexism, classism, and nationalism. This has caused immense suffering to those who were historically subjugated under the exploitative grip of capitalists who divide humanity and pit people against one another.
We are all connected; the suffering of one is the suffering of all human beings. Society is a collective movement forward. No one can progress while others are left behind. We cannot ignore the pain, the killing, and the exploitation of anyone. We believe this consciousness must establish itself not just in the halls of government, but in all interpersonal relationships─in every home, in every workplace, and in every community in our nation.
Although we must start with a restructuring of our police departments and the criminal justice system, Prout calls for deeper systemic transformation. We must replace capitalism with a new progressive system of economic democracy that guarantees the basic necessities of life, full employment with the dignity of decent wages, and an equitable distribution of wealth. We need to root out racism through public and private policies, mass education, and ultimately establishing a culture based on mutual love, respect, tolerance, cooperation, and dignity. In addition, Prout recognizes the urgency of addressing the grave inequities of this country’s past by empowering Black people through transfers of resources needed to uplift their communities. These transfers are necessary to finally break down the barriers to opportunities by actively supporting Black-owned businesses, Black-owned cooperative banks, and Black-run community development. Ultimately, Prout Alliance is dedicated to the long and arduous struggle that is required to establish a united and caring society where all Black Lives Matter.
Prout Alliance
July 8, 2020