“The great evil of American slavery wasn’t the involuntary servitude; it was the fiction that Black people aren’t as good as white people, and aren’t the equals of white people, and are less evolved, less human, less capable, less worthy, less deserving than white people.”
– Bryan Stevenson
Originally Published: June 19, 2020
Updated: July 7, 2020
Black community leaders and those of good conscience are working to push for answers and consequences while Mayor Fischer has yet to make a statement condemning the actions of LMPD.
For far too long, our communities have operated on the principle of keeping Louisville’s issues out of the public eye. The cover-up has ended. The time has come to give us the necessary resources to begin to do the work for ourselves since our elected leaders are reluctant to do what they have been sworn to do for all of our citizens. Should our concerns not be acknowledged and addressed, Louisville will continue to experience the public outrage and demand for change that it is seeing after the unnecessary and unjustified deaths of our Black residents at the hands of the LMPD.
The actions of LMPD clearly demonstrated that we cannot trust them to protect and serve all of us regardless of where we live or the color of our skin. It’s difficult to imagine a more serious breach of trust than when police unnecessarily kill the people they are charged to protect. We demand transparency and the opportunity to be involved in creating real change in LMPD, including the search for a new Chief, as stated in our previous requests.
“Jobs, justice, education, health, and housing” is not just a Louisville Urban League slogan; it is a holistic approach to what Black communities across this country need for systemic restructuring. The protests happening in the streets of Louisville and in at least one city in every state in our country are evidence that Black America and people of good conscience everywhere are exhausted by the traditional methods of negotiation. These methods have clearly failed. While we agree with the desire for peace, we won’t be supportive of a hollow peace—one that comes at the expense of Black lives and does not lead to justice.
Along with the rest of Black America, Black Louisville is suffering. Louisville is not an exception to any rule. We have been so blinded by occasional generous words and sporadic individual acts of compassion that we have allowed our city and its leaders to believe otherwise, to believe that this city is somehow different. That our pain hasn’t been significant, hasn’t been real. That misconception must end. To continue on this path will deprive Louisville of the opportunity to become the city that lives up to its promises to every resident.
This is not a time for fragility. It is not a time to cower behind guilt and discomfort. We are not interested in being studied and examined further. Now is the time for direct action and we cannot—will not—tolerate any further delays.
Black community leaders and those of good conscience are working to push for answers and consequences while Mayor Fischer has yet to make a statement condemning the actions of LMPD.
For far too long, our communities have operated on the principle of keeping Louisville’s issues out of the public eye. The cover-up has ended. The time has come to give us the necessary resources to begin to do the work for ourselves since our elected leaders are reluctant to do what they have been sworn to do for all of our citizens. Should our concerns not be acknowledged and addressed, Louisville will continue to experience the public outrage and demand for change that it is seeing after the unnecessary and unjustified deaths of our Black residents at the hands of the LMPD.
The actions of LMPD clearly demonstrated that we cannot trust them to protect and serve all of us regardless of where we live or the color of our skin. It’s difficult to imagine a more serious breach of trust than when police unnecessarily kill the people they are charged to protect. We demand transparency and the opportunity to be involved in creating real change in LMPD, including the search for a new Chief, as stated in our previous requests.
“Jobs, justice, education, health, and housing” is not just a Louisville Urban League slogan; it is a holistic approach to what Black communities across this country need for systemic restructuring. The protests happening in the streets of Louisville and in at least one city in every state in our country are evidence that Black America and people of good conscience everywhere are exhausted by the traditional methods of negotiation. These methods have clearly failed. While we agree with the desire for peace, we won’t be supportive of a hollow peace—one that comes at the expense of Black lives and does not lead to justice.
Along with the rest of Black America, Black Louisville is suffering. Louisville is not an exception to any rule. We have been so blinded by occasional generous words and sporadic individual acts of compassion that we have allowed our city and its leaders to believe otherwise, to believe that this city is somehow different. That our pain hasn’t been significant, hasn’t been real. That misconception must end. To continue on this path will deprive Louisville of the opportunity to become the city that lives up to its promises to every resident.
This is not a time for fragility. It is not a time to cower behind guilt and discomfort. We are not interested in being studied and examined further. Now is the time for direct action and we cannot—will not—tolerate any further delays.
Rooted Solutions:
This work must be rooted in systemic solutions that lead to health and wealth building in Black communities. They must be both educational and economic solutions because racism, while wide-reaching and pervasive, cannot be detached from the direct and serious educational and economic impacts on those who suffer and those benefit from it. Therefore, we, the people, believe that extensive, catalytic investments in the Black community are required to position this community for creating wealth and educational opportunities that will cross generations.
Invest/Divest
We are addressing the long and challenging history LMPD has had with Louisville’s Black community. This means we are standing up against aggressive policing practices, abuse, an absence of transparency, and cover-ups that have plagued this department and eroded public trust. We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people.
Black Community Fund
For too long, public safety in Louisville has taken a police-centered approach and ignored the possibilities of publicly-resourced, community-led solutions. This initial $50M allocation will allow us to begin the process of addressing systemic racism in our community. “The compounding crises of structural inequality, plummeting economic mobility, mounting death tolls, and ongoing injustice and brutality have been raging for generations,” and we are asking the city to join us in this moment to seize the opportunity to disrupt these crises.
US Conference of Mayors
After serious discussion by the group, this document also serves to register our deep concern with [Mayor Fischer’s] ability to lead the conference of Mayors, and Louisville, while our city remains in crisis. We believe that, in many respects, the culture of our police department has regressed under [his] leadership, and we have serious concerns about what police reform might look like under your leadership of the conference.
“We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people.”
– Movement for Black Lives
In addition to the immediate requests outlined above, there are a number of issues facing our community that should be priorities for those in positions of power and authority. We know the money and authority to act exists. There is only a question of courage and will.
JOBS
JOBS
Strong workforce development is about investment in training for jobs that exist today, forecasting training needs for the jobs of tomorrow, and continued investment in people to advance careers as technology and the economy continue to revolutionize what employment looks like in America.
JUSTICE
JUSTICE
The police department, the justice department and our elected officials have repeatedly failed those whom they have pledged to serve. While 400 years overdue, there is an opportunity to change right now.
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
We must invest in the education of our young people because they have the potential to change outcomes for generations. Providing wrap-around services and other supplemental supports for students will help to close the achievement gap and provide them the necessary support to not only graduate but enroll and complete higher education.
HEALTH
HEALTH
The physical, mental, and emotional health of our community is as important as it has ever been. And as the Louisville Health Equity Report (2017) states, “[i]nterventions must happen at multiple levels—individual, interpersonal, organizational, community and policy—to have the biggest impact on health.”
HOUSING
HOUSING
The Metropolitan Housing Coalition has documented the societal cost of redlining in Louisville: 22,000 Black families who should be homeowners are not. We can address this and change the physical conditions in disinvested neighborhoods to reinvest in and recycle thousands of abandoned properties and vacant lots.
We sense that, after years of mostly ignoring our pleas, you seem now to be listening to our requests. Now that we have your ear, we are counting on you to respond in earnest. We share this petition as a collective of civic leaders, social service organizations, philanthropic partners, faith-based community members, families, friends and impacted people, because we understand that one leader, one organization, one perspective is not enough. This is our combined plea. This is our combined demand. This is our collective opportunity.
Many of us have been asked individually what it is that we think Louisville needs. If perhaps not fully coordinated or complete, our answers have been overwhelmingly consistent. We will not succumb to the pressure of being monolithic. There is no one spokesperson or one ideology for Black Louisville. Instead, we are a collective in our pain and we are united in our need for multi-dimensional responses and investment. The police department, the justice department and our elected officials have repeatedly failed those whom they have pledged to serve. While 400 years overdue, there is an opportunity to change right now.
In the Movement,
Sadiqa N. Reynolds, Esq.
Louisville Urban League
Dr. Yvonne D. Austin-Cornish Louisville Urban League Guild
Closing the Gap Consulting, LLC
Dr. Billie Castle
Louisville Urban League Young Professionals
Monica E. Unseld, Ph.D
Data for Justice
Alice Houston
Dana Jackson
Audwin Helton
15,000 Degrees
Damian Thompson
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Verna’ Goatley
Shawnee Neighborhood Association
Timothy Findley Jr.
Kingdom Fellowship
Mellone Long
Center for Neighborhoods
Ja’mel Armstrong
New Horizon Baptist Church
Dave W. Christopher Sr.
AMPED
Nicole Hayden
Friends of Nicole 50/50 Mentoring Collaborative Inc.
Timothy Findley Jr.
Justice & Freedom Coalition
Johnetta Roberts
40 & One Company
Dr. Jamesetta Ferguson
Molo Village CDC
St. Peters United Church of Christ
Kevin L. Dunlap
REBOUND, Inc.
Arthur Cox
St. George’s Scholar Institute
Marcus Ray
NAACP, Kentucky State Conference
Dr. Corrie Shull
Burnett Avenue Baptist Church
Ben Johnson
Education First Foundation
Darryl Young, Jr.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Louisville Alumni Chapter
Dr. Eddie L Woods
No More Red Dots, Inc.
Monica Flowers
Alumni NPHC
Kristen Williams
Play Cousins Collective
John Marshall
Jefferson County Public Schools
Dee Muldrow
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
Theta Omega Chapter
Toya Northington
artThrust
Dr. Walter Malone Jr.
Canaan Christian Church
Erich Shumake
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Gary N Eley
100 Black Men Of Louisville
Rev. Samantha Jewell
Rev. Rachel Small Stokes
Immanuel United Church of Christ
Rev. Ann Houlette
United Church of Christ
Lettie Johnson
Gifted By Design Leadership and Consulting, LLC
Tomeika S. Leavell
Leavell Counseling, LLC
Shervita West
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
Beta Alpha Xi Zeta Chapter
Sonja Grey
Exploited Children’s Help Organization (ECHO)
Anthony Smith
Cities United
Russell Place of Promise
Sara Klein Wagner
Jewish Community of Louisville, Inc.
Rashaad Abdur-Rahman
Racial Healing Project
National Council of Jewish Women
Louisville Section
Ken Ellis
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Alpha Lambda Chapter
Eric Stout
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Louisville Alumni Chapter
Dr. Deshawn Burrell
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Eta Zeta Chapter
Monya Logan
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Pi Sigma Chapter
Marion Phinazee
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
Beta Nu Omega Chapter
Shameka Parrish-Wright
The Bail Project-Louisville
Jan Brown Thompson
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Pi Lambda Omega Chapter
DaMarrion Fleming
Sowing Seeds with Faith
Kenneth Marshall
Jefferson County Public Schools
Marland Cole
Evolve502
Tina M. Johnson
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Louisville Alumnae Chapter
Daphne L. Jones
William Westerfield Tolbert
Keepers Of The Torch
Sedgewick Parker
Yearlings Club Inc.
Jerome Baker
Jamila Young
River City Drum Corp
Christie McCravy
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Eta Omega Chapter
Bruce Williams
Bates Memorial Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby
Simmons College of Kentucky
St. Stephen Church
Carla Wallace
Rev. Joe Phelps
EmpowerWest Louisville
Kelly Kirby
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Dr. Ann Deibert
Central Presbyterian Church
Benjamin K. Richmond, Retired
Louisville Urban League
Rev. Matthew E. Smyzer, Jr.
Beargrass Missionary Baptist Church
Matthew Bradley
Christ Church Cathedral
Jecorey 1200 Arthur
Simmons College of Kentucky
Arika Marshall-Embry
Rev. Lauren Jones Mayfield
Highland Baptist Church’s Anti-Racism Team
Rabbi Robert B. Slosberg
Congregation Adath Jeshurun
Marna Miller
Deb Frockt
Jewish Family & Career Services
Rev. Dr. Larry W. Stoess
Mistee Spry Browning
Church of the Promise
Rev. Ryan Stoess
Promise Housing LLC
Cecil M. Brookins
J.O. Blanton House Board of Directors
Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport
Rabbi Gaylia R. Rooks
Damon Cobble, LMFT, CCTSF
Minority Mental Health Project
James Pasch
ADL Cleveland
William Mack III
Grace Community Covenant Church
Pastor Eric T. French, Sr.
Antioch Baptist Church
Ebony O’Rea, MSSW
Making Changes Together, LLC
Rev. Kevin Gardner-Sinclair
Broadway Baptist Church
Kevin Fields
Louisville Central Community Center
What can I do?
Louisville has everything it needs to transform our community. Everyone just needs to do their part. We encourage you to read the document and find places where you and your organization(s) can be of assistance. We have attempted to make your search easier by grouping priorities according to potential actors. Click the category(s) below that fits your organization and see how you can help.