We are confused. We are livid. We are in pain.
It would be easy for us to throw a statement up joining the thousands upon thousands of voices standing up right now and end it there, but the time for only words is over. Words-only didn’t change anything back in 2014 when Michael Brown was shot and killed. Protesters in our city stormed the streets to demand change after feeling yet another injustice, but it never came. It’s time we take action.
Here are the four promises we make to our Black players, their families and friends, the Black community in St. Louis, and the Black populations across the world.
We will match every dollar donated, up to $1,000 total, to Black Pride STL. You can donate either through Cash App ($Blackpridestl) or PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/blackpridestl). Send us the confirmation email or a screenshot from your phone and email it to us at treasurer@crusadersrfc.org. June is Pride month, but we cannot truly celebrate it until our Black brothers, sisters, genderqueer, queer, trans, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and children are heard.
Members of our executive committee will be calling both the offices of the Mayor of the City of St. Louis and the County Executive of St. Louis to push for legislation aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability. There were numerous studies conducted after the Ferguson protests on how to move forward, but those results fell on deaf ears. It’s time to act on those suggestions. It’s time we move away from a criminal justice system that threatens the lives of our minority brothers and sisters.
Members of our executive committee also plan to meet with members of Black Pride STL and Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG) to see how we can better serve the Black and Black queer communities. We understand this is not only a time to take action, but it is also a time to listen and learn. We have always been dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion, but we can do more and we must do more. Together, we hope to learn how we can improve our own organization and find out ways to continue this help throughout the years to come.
Lastly, we demand each and every one of our rugby family members to educate themselves on how to participate in action. We’ve listed a few local organizations aimed at helping Black and minority groups as a starting point, but get involved. Donate if you’re able, vote in elections, attend a protest, or volunteer at a nonprofit dedicated to wiping out racism and providing POC with opportunities. Standing there doing nothing is how three officers allowed George Floyd to die.
https://forwardthroughferguson.org
https://actionstl.org
https://wepowerstl.org
https://www.archcitydefenders.org
To those who are doing their part, we are With You. To those who remain silent, step the fuck up.