SPLC Joins National Day of Mourning

MONTGOMERY — Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) joins social justice organizations and millions of people from across the country in a National Day of Mourning to grieve the lives of Black people killed by police and vigilantes.

The SPLC President and Chief Executive Officer Margaret Huang issued the following statement:

“As George Floyd’s family lays him to rest, we join millions of people in a National Day of Mourning today to grieve for him, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor and countless other Black people murdered by police and vigilantes.

“We are outraged that a policing system built on white supremacy and fueled by structural racism continues to take the lives of Black and brown people. Policing, with origins designed to control people of color in this nation, must be reimagined. Today we acknowledge that crimes by police against Black people are deeply rooted in our racist history and systems of oppression.

“We, as a nation, must come together to push for systemic change that dismantles structural racism and transforms our policing systems. Critical steps in this transformation must include transparent investigations into police killings and acts of brutality; reforms in state laws on the use of force by police; and nationwide changes in law enforcement hiring practices to expose implicit bias and meaningfully diversify staff with more women and people of color.

“We know hate when we see it. It’s time to stand together and refuse it.”