Statement on Racial
Injustice & Inequality
A Message To Our
Side-Out Family
We want to speak clearly and with sincerity: our entire staff at Side-Out condemns all forms of racism, systemic injustice, police brutality, and white supremacy. We support the members of our Black communities and the thousands of other Black Americans that have been unjustly killed at the hands of the police through hate crimes and systemic racism. Our hearts mourn for every family, friend, and community that has lost a loved one due to this racial bias and senseless violence. We call for an end to systematic racism, but this statement of solidarity is not enough.
The core purpose of the Side-Out Foundation is to support and impact the underserved and underrepresented. In order for us to have a meaningful connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, we must work to change our organizational culture and the programs that serve our communities. This will require deeper context, deeper education, and deeper reflection as we navigate how our own nonprofit can be an active supporter in this fight:
LISTEN & SHARE
We will amplify the powerful and important messages from civil rights organizations and Black leaders. We recognize the platform we have and will use it to shed light on Black lives and the racial inequalities ingrained within our country. We will also listen and share Black voices within the volleyball and breast cancer communities we serve.
EDUCATION
We will continue with our education, immersing ourselves in articles, books, videos, films, podcasts, research and deep conversations. Our staff is having hard, emotional dialogue about the Black Lives Matter protests, systemic racism, racial injustice, and unnecessary violence toward Black Americans. Our hearts are heavy in this moment, and we are each taking the necessary time to reflect on our own privilege as well.
As a predominantly white company, the experience of being a Black person in America carries with it lived experiences that our organization will never truly understand. But, through partnerships with Black educators and resources from Black activists, we will gain knowledge so we can make strong, qualified decisions regarding race in our organization. We are committed to having thoughtful, challenging discussions with our supporters and the Black community.
STRATEGIZE & IMPLEMENT
We will pull together all that we have learned and implement a strategy of inclusion and impact. We will take the time to have discussions within our organization, with other impact leaders, and with our Black communities. We aspire to play an impactful role in changing the racial disparities within our volleyball and breast cancer communities, as these systemic inequalities are very much prevalent in our sports and public health systems
We will continue discovering how we as a foundation can be more than just advocates. We recognize that we will never truly understand the pain, anger, and fear of the Black community, but we are committed to continuous listening, learning and action.
And we promise, Side-Out is in it for the long haul.
Rick Dunetz
Founder, Executive Director
The Side-Out Foundation
