Baltimore Reclaiming Statement Affirming Black Lives Matter
June 2020
Baltimore Reclaiming affirms that Black lives matter. We stand in solidarity with the protests that have arisen in the wake of the murders of Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black people, named and unnamed. We decry the police brutality and state-sanctioned murders that are a hallmark of white supremacy.
Baltimore Reclaiming stands against the harm white supremacy has done in Baltimore and beyond. We honor the memory of Freddie Gray and recognize that the uprisings after his murder and those occurring now are the response to centuries of oppression. We stand in solidarity with Black communities in Baltimore and recognize the role Black people play and have played in building our vibrant city.
We recognize that Black people have enriched Baltimore Reclaiming and the greater Reclaiming tradition. The white members of Baltimore Reclaiming acknowledge and apologize for the harm that they have done, including acts of cultural appropriation, microaggressions, and failures to confront white supremacy.
At this historic moment, we remind ourselves of the relevant Reclaiming Principles of Unity: “We work for all forms of justice: environmental, social, political, racial, gender and economic. Our feminism includes a radical analysis of power, seeing all systems of oppression as interrelated, rooted in structures of domination and control.” We draw on our tradition to affirm that “love is the law” and regard justice as one of the forms that love takes.
Following the Reclaiming tradition that combines personal, spiritual, and political action, Baltimore Reclaiming commits to working for racial justice in the following ways:
As an organization, we commit to following the leadership of Black organizations at this historical moment. We encourage our members to follow Black leadership on issues of social justice.
As an organization, we commit to action. We encourage our members to work concretely towards racial justice, whether that be through direct action, protest, or working through the legal system -- whatever it takes to dismantle white supremacy.
We affirm the Statement to Reclaiming on Anti-racist Practices composed by the BIPOC and Mixed Race Reclaiming Convergence (2019). We commit to engaging deeply with this statement and transforming our tradition accordingly.
Those of us who are white commit to confronting our racism and to holding one another accountable for doing this work.
We are cognizant of the opportunities this moment offers to dismantle unjust structures and institutions, and grateful for the chance to help build a more equitable Baltimore and future for all. May we use this moment wisely, and remember that, as our Principles of Unity state, “We know that everyone can do the life-changing, world-renewing work of magic.”
In solidarity,
Baltimore Reclaiming
Signed,
Marcos Bisticas-Cocoves
Addie Compton
Gina Coursey
Shannon Davis
Zac Lawhon
Lauren Mehl
Jennifer A. Mott-Smith
Jess Erin Sellner
Mary Shock
Liam Smith
elle trusz
Bill Wertz
Added 2 July 2020:
Boneweaver (Pamela V Jones - Reclaiming Pittsburgh)
Jeremie McKnight
Anne Forrest
Nicole Hovermale
Clare N.
Lisa M Fisher
Phlox
Charly Abdullah
Otter RiverRider
Jen DuMars
Aimée Olivera Sanchez
Romana Miller
Charlotte Boyer
Juniper Caldera
Jeremie McKnight
Lyn White
Angel Dawson
Amanda Schulz
Susan L Townsend (Babka Stu)
Nicole LeCause
Added 11 July 2020:
Otter RiverRider
Ravyn Stanfield
Samantha Ravenna Shay
Rose May Dance
Kristen Proctor
Deborah Oak Cooper
BrightFlame
Randy Ellen Blaustein
Song (Nanette Echols)
August Wolff
Starhawk