Solidarity Statement
In solidarity with people around the world, Care Beyond the Boulevard voices its anger at the continued targeting of black Americans. Black lives matter and we abhor the structural racism and implicit biases that perpetuate inequities in health care, criminal justice, education, and economic self-sufficiency. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among people of color and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are recent examples of racism and structural violence in the United States. We stand with the families and friends of local murder victims like Ryan Stokes, Cameron Lamb, and Donnie Sanders and await the justice that they deserve.
On a daily basis, those of us at Care Beyond the Boulevard grieve and bear witness to the violence, marginalization, and oppression of excluded people right here in Kansas City. We see the bruises and scars and we feel the emotional pain. We believe there is enough for everyone but resources are unequally distributed and structurally contained for the privileged class.
Care Beyond the Boulevard commits to the following actions in our fight for equity and justice:
We will listen. Please email us at info@carebeyondtheboulevard.com to share ways in which we can improve equity within our organization.
We will educate ourselves and the street medicine community about the racial disparity among the black unsheltered homeless population and equip ourselves and the organizations that we are in contact with on ways to erase that disparity.
We at Care Beyond the Boulevard come from disparate backgrounds but have a common goal. Our work in street medicine is defined more by the values that guide our daily lives than by the medical care we deliver. These values are inclusivity, solidarity, justice and love. We practice inclusion medicine; all people - regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or religion - are worthy of our care. We listen and allow our rough-sleeping friends to define our priorities, rather than forcing them to conform to our agenda. We stand in solidarity with the people we serve, immersing ourselves in their reality. The harsher their reality becomes, the more we strive to share their burden. We bear witness to injustices inflicted on them almost daily, challenging their very right to exist in our city. Finally, we understand that of all the things we can do, creating more love is always the most important.
In solidarity and with love,
The Care Beyond the Boulevard Board