Pisgah Legal Services stands for justice against oppression. Racism is wrong and the ongoing acts of murder and violence happening against people of color are abhorrent.
Our mission is to pursue justice to improve lives for low-income people in Western North Carolina through legal assistance and advocacy. This mission will never be fully achieved until the structural racism that is at the very core of the legal system and our country is dismantled.
WE PROTEST.
We protest the attitudes of white supremacy that undergird racism and institutional racism. We protest racism in its insidious forms. We protest the murder of George Floyd with other police officers complicit in the murder. We protest that the other officers are not charged. We protest the inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people and all people of color. We protest all acts of racism, oppression, inequality and brutality or violence.
WE PROTEST.
We protest a system of excessive violence against people of color. We remember others before George Floyd: Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Terence Crutcher, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Samuel Dubose, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Keith Lamont Scott, Jonathan Ferrell, Soheil Mojarrad, Danquirs Franklin and the countless others.
WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY with the Black Community here in WNC and across the country. We stand in solidarity with people of color across this nation who are demanding justice. We stand in solidarity with our employees, clients, volunteers, and partners – against systemic racism and injustice.
WE STAND FOR JUSTICE AND DIGNITY.
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Learn more with these resources:
- Anti-Racism Listening & Reading: A Google Doc, curated by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein, listing books, articles, podcasts, films and organizations to follow to become better educated on racism and its effects.
- Building Bridges: Hosts two nine-week educational sessions each year focusing on black-and-white racism in Asheville, incorporating experiential learning and small groups discussion.
- Racial Equity Institute: An alliance of trainers, organizers and institutional leaders who help individuals and organizations develop tools to challenge patterns of power and grow equity