OUT Georgia Business Alliance stands in solidarity with Black people against racism, racial violence, police brutality, and the senseless murders of Black people in this country. We pledge to continue combatting discrimination by listening, working, and speaking out against hate, violence, and systemic racism.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” — Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.
America––characterized as the land of the free and the home of the brave but plagued by a history of racial injustice––has been a beacon of hope for millions of people who desperately seek to achieve social and economic prosperity. Within this perception of an inclusive construct, many citizens have endured unimaginable degradation that unequivocally contradicts the promise of liberty and justice for all.
George Floyd––murdered by a Minneapolis police officer––has become a symbol of racial injustice that has rocked our nation to its core as generations of Black pain and cries for change ring out. While people in the City of Atlanta, across Georgia, and all over the world take to the streets to voice their anger through the language of protest and rioting, we are reminded this moment is also tragically in honor of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and far too many black and brown Americans whose lives have been cut short because of racist violence.
Born from deep-rooted oppression, conflict, and rioting––and led by black and brown trans women––the LGBTQ movement is characterized by fighting for what is right in the face of unequivocal disparagement. The movement’s goal to eradicate injustice is as apparent today, in the midst of George Floyd’s death, as it was during the Stonewall Riots of 1969.
As we head into Pride Month, serving as a constant reminder of the LGBTQ movement’s initiative to combat discrimination and hate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, it is important that we must stand in solidarity when a threat to justice is apparent.
We say it again…OUT Georgia stands in solidarity with Black people against racism, racial violence, police brutality, and the senseless murders of Black people in this country. We pledge to continue combatting discrimination by listening, working, and speaking out against hate, violence, and systemic racism.
OUT Georgia is committed to advancing and representing LGBTQ businesses, professionals, and nonprofit leaders of color to foster economic prosperity, camaraderie, and allyship amongst our minority communities. Our chamber, now led by the first black gay male in its history, stands upon the shoulders of strong black lesbian leadership to build equitable and fair economic opportunities across our state.
We support immediate action on civil rights and hate crimes legislation in Georgia, and we encourage businesses to sign this pledge to support nondiscrimination laws and ordinances across our state.
Despite progress that has been gained, we are far from equality for black and brown people in America, including LGBTQ people of color.
At this time of social unrest, we must remember Dr. King’s words that “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” —Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, 1958. We all must work together to ensure that the world we know is ultimately the one that is fair, just, and welcoming to all.
We hear you. We love you. We stand by you.
We have to do more.
#BlackLivesMatter
Michael D. Daniels, Board President
OUT Georgia Business Alliance
About OUT Georgia Business Alliance
OUT Georgia Business Alliance proudly serves as Georgia’s only LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce.
Since 1994, OUT Georgia Business Alliance (formerly the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) has served the LGBTQ+ and Allied business community by advocating for the most inclusive and equitable business environment; providing support and resources to fuel economic growth; and driving meaningful community connections and impact across the State of Georgia.
OUT Georgia Business Alliance is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and is a proud affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact us at OUTGeorgia.org or info@OUTGeorgia.org.