I have been struggling to find the words to communicate how I feel about what is happening in our country right now, and beyond that, to do so in a way that accurately reflects how everyone at Image feels.
We have all been deeply affected by the ongoing violence and anguish endured by the Black community, and at times it feels like anything we say is woefully inadequate in the face of such injustice. It’s both shameful and embarrassing that as a nation founded on the belief that all people are equal and deserving of the same rights, we have continuously failed to live up to that principle.
George Floyd.
Breonna Taylor.
Auhmaud Arbery.
Tony McDade.
Rayshard Brooks.
If those were the only five casualties of our broken law enforcement system, that would be five too many, but those are just the most recent five lives senselessly snuffed out by police officers whose mission is to protect and serve.
If this happened once it would be tragic; that it continues happening over and over and over again is nothing short of a disgrace.
More disgraceful still is the fact a list of names that is already longer than it should be may well be out of date by the time you read this, because as this weekend has shown, it only continues to grow.
And worse than that, there are more names we may never know.
We are adding our voices to the chorus of cries screaming that this cannot continue.
We stand with the Black community in opposition to the relentless repression, marginalization, and murder of United States citizens based on their skin color, and we support the protesters who have taken to the streets to demand justice in cities all around the world.
We, as individuals and as a company, unanimously and unequivocally condemn racism and bigotry in all its forms.
One of Image’s founders, Erik Larsen, recently wrote on Twitter, “There are two choices: Black lives matter. Black lives don’t matter. There are no other choices.”
It really is that simple – there is no neutral position on this – and it’s difficult to understand how that isn’t more widely understood and accepted.
And it’s both maddening and heartbreaking that it is a choice at all, because as people and as a nation, we should be so much better than this.
It’s not a trend. It’s not a pose. It’s not a slogan. It’s not a matter of opinion.
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Following is a list of resources for anyone interested in supporting Black Lives Matter and other like causes through donations, activism, or further education about the crisis facing the Black community.
This is just a start:
Consider supporting:
Black Lives Matter
Campaign Zero
Urban League PDX
NAACP Legal Defence Fund
National Association of Black Journalists
Black owned bookstores and comic book stores
Educate yourself on how to be an anti-racist:
Graphic Novels
Books
Kids Books
BLM on Netflix
Podcasts
-e.s.
Eric Stephenson
Publisher
Image Comics, Inc.