“On May 25th, George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, died at the hands of a police officer who held his knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. This incident shined a light on racism and police brutality within the United States and has ignited protests across the nation. This is not an isolated incident. In recent weeks, we witnessed the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade, and acknowledge that they are not the only Black individuals that have died at the hands of police brutality within the past weeks, months, or years. Now is not the time for thoughts and prayers, nor is it time for performative virtue-signaling. Change will not come from wishing it so or by letting our engagement end on social media. Instead, we must engage in actionable steps to empower, motivate, and equip our members to enact change in their communities. This is in line with our mission statement, but it is impossible to engage with these resources or in these communities while having to fight for the value of your existence in oppressive systems designed against you. Black Lives Matter… We fight alongside the oppressed and make it a priority to take intentional action by being a part of the conversation. Racism does not have a platform in NACURH.” - Katie Westermeyer, NACURH Chairperson (Read full memo here)

As a region, we first want to reinforce what our organization has stated on the national level: Black Lives Matter. Any statement or memo that we give you is nothing if we don't actively name and work to dismantle the ways we as a region have not empowered, motivated, and equipped the Black members of our communities. These efforts do not end when the media coverage fades, and we will continually implement changes to our regional practices that create more inclusive spaces that lift up our Black peers. This page is just step one. Please note that the focus of this movement always remains with the Black community. To the Black folx in our region: You are seen. You are heard. We will continually fight to make IACURH and the world better for you and will hold ourselves accountable.