Rev stands in solidarity with the Black community, victims of racism, of injustice, of the malicious evil that is hate. We recognize silence is itself a statement. And this Juneteenth —  the observance of a Union General telling the enslaved in Texas they had been freed after the Civil War — we want to publicly state our absolute, unwavering, and enthusiastic support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, while also expressing what we know to be true:

Police brutality exists. There are institutions that both permit and encourage it to continue. Racism, both systemic and personal, is behind these murders. It is a scourge that is at-once widespread and clandestine. And, in this way, it permeates the very fabric of our country, seeking to leave the Black community without recourse, without closure, without a voice. 

Rev commits to amplifying the voices of the Black community by transcribing their historic words, moments, and speeches in an effort to further public discourse and promote education, understanding, empathy, consideration, love, and action. 

We’ve started our first good-faith gesture HERE as we re-commit to building an inclusive community. We are also asking for more ideas, including requests for other important transcripts, in an open form HERE. We’ll be evaluating our internal processes and seeing how we can improve there as well. Suffice to say, this won’t be the last time you’ll hear from us about this.

Lastly, to the Black community who is suffering so much right now: We don’t just see you. We hear you. We stand with you. We want to help your voices shake the very foundations of this flawed system. We want this terrible part of the world to change for the better, for good.