Statement of Solidarity for Racial Justice

The United Nations Association of the United States of America, San Francisco Chapter (UNA-SF) stands in solidarity with the Black community and all those rising up in peaceful protest against anti-Blackness, racism, and injustice. While we share the grief and anger at the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, we recognize that it is not enough to express our pain.

We denounce police brutality and call for reform of our criminal justice system. Further, we condemn the U.S. government’s attacks on peaceful protestors with the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and other forms of violence. We call upon our government to uphold the right to peaceful protest, as granted by both the U.S. Constitution and international law.

As an organization, we are committed to taking anti-racist action and holding people and institutions accountable for their words and actions. We acknowledge that racism is a systemic problem. These recent acts are part of a centuries-old continuing history rooted in white supremacy. We further acknowledge that silence is not an option if we are to uphold the human rights principles articulated in the founding documents of the United Nations.

We strongly support the statement of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in saying,

“The voices calling for an end to the killings of unarmed African Americans need to be heard. The voices calling for an end to police violence need to be heard. And the voices calling for an end to the endemic and structural racism that blights US society need to be heard.”

UNA-SF unequivocally acknowledges that Black lives matter, and we strongly condemn anti-Blackness and all other forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. We are committed to examining our own structures and policies within an anti-racist framework, and we will work with community leaders and organizations to uphold the ideals articulated in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UNA-SF recognizes that transforming the racist policies and practices of our institutions will require sustained commitment to challenging systems of oppression in all aspects of our society. We also understand that cultural change is required to move toward equity and social justice. We are committed to dismantling white supremacy and racism in all of its forms.

We ask our members to acknowledge their privilege, engage in anti-racism, and use their voices and voting power to take action and demand accountability. We are all in this historic moment of reckoning together.

In solidarity,
UNA-SF

Approved unanimously by the Board of Directors of the United Nations Association of the USA, San Francisco Chapter
and signed by the President, Mary Steiner, on June 6, 2020, via video conference