MFC Board Statement:
George Floyd

Dear Community Members,

The Multicultural Family Center (MFC) is dedicated to furthering an equitable and inclusive community and to eradicating prejudice and discrimination. We are proud of the strength diversity brings to our community and are equally proud of the vast majority of residents of our community who share a desire to be inclusive and welcoming.
 
The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week stirred in all of us a deep pain for the state of our world. We felt outrage at yet another brutal loss of life and the underlying history of trauma and injustice that continue their impacts today. We felt despair that things might never really change. One moment we are encouraged by the massive numbers of peaceful protests with coherent messages of unity and concrete actions to address inequities that continue to plague our communities, and the next, we are overcome with fear and sadness as violence erupts.

Today we remind ourselves, in the words of Langston Hughes, that we must “hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” We are determined to hold onto our dreams and to live out our mission of empowering all families and community members of Dubuque to reach their potential and build unity through diversity, equity, and inclusion.
 
Now is the time for us to stand unified and in solidarity with black and brown communities who are directly affected and hurting. It is also time to acknowledge that true unity demands accountability for the ways in which systemic inequities and disparities are limiting the ability of our families and community members to reach their potential. Our only true hope for unity first lies in refusing to be constrained by the status quo. 

We will let neither fear nor despair incapacitate us. We will continue our work throughout the community to educate and to expand difficult dialogue in order to bring forth constructive change. We will redouble our focus on our youth and the better world that we owe to them. We encourage Dubuque residents to be part of creating a community that is not falsely unified, but is instead unified precisely because its members are able to recognize the value of diversity, are willing to include people in hard conversations that affirm our shared humanity, and are committed to taking action to work for change that advances equity. 

Sincerely,

MFC Board of Directors 
(click on image for list of of names)