Joseph’s Home Stands in Solidarity and Commits to Justice

All of us at Joseph’s Home are appalled at the violence and racism inflicted on African Americans, as evidenced most recently by the horrific killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others. Joseph’s Home extends its deepest sympathies to all who have suffered from these injustices.

It is equally frustrating and disturbing that so many of our community’s and country’s systems—health care, criminal justice, housing and education to name a few—have racist policies and practices woven into their fabric. We see firsthand at Joseph’s Home the results of this systemic inequity; the majority of people we serve are Black men. African American men are more likely to have serious health issues and more likely to experience homelessness than other groups. Consequently, the outcomes of structural racism are compounded—pain and suffering, lost potential and early deaths.

There are no easy or quick fixes, but there are actionable steps we can take toward racial equity and justice. Joseph’s Home applauds the Cleveland City Council for declaring racism a public health crisis, an important first step. We commit to making sure our own policies and practices in all facets of our work are actively anti-racist and inclusive. And, we commit to joining with many individuals and organizations across our community to dismantle racist structures that have held too many people of color back for much, much too long.