Dear Carolina Meadows Community:

These are difficult times. Recent events have once again brought racial injustices to the forefront of our society. There are countless examples of senseless acts that demonstrate how Black Americans continue to suffer under structural systems of racism and institutions of oppression. The tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently, George Floyd are intolerable.  We want to recognize this profound moment of anger, grief and trauma in our own community and across the country. We hope this time will be different.

As members of the Carolina Meadows team, we cannot be silent in the face of racism and social injustices in our community or beyond.  Carolina Meadows is dedicated to being a vibrant and inclusive community, and have affirmed this as one of our community’s core values. We actively work to cultivate a culture that celebrates diversity while being a community that is welcome to all.

Our core values compel us to see, to understand and to interrupt racism in all its forms.

We encourage each of you to use this moment in history to strengthen your commitment to racial equity. This means working to address the injustices that exist by the conversations we have with others, by speaking up when we see hate, by supporting efforts that oppose racism and oppression, and by directly engaging in advocacy work.

As an organization, we realize we are at the beginning of our work to examine how systemic and structural racism is in the groundwater all around us, and we stand committed to doing this hard work. If you are interested in being a part of this discussion and exploration, please know we welcome your input and involvement. We want to listen deeply and with humility to those most affected in our community by racial and social inequities.

If we succeed only at operations but fail to embody our values of inclusivity, respect, and diversity, we as a community have fallen short. We ask that you hold this compelling work closely to your heart.

In solidarity and with hope,

Ben