LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Posted July 10, 2020
Dear Editor:
It is the mission of Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois (CAPCIL) to empower persons with low income and aged by creating and implementing poverty fighting initiatives for those in crisis and those that endeavor a lifetime of lasting independence. Currently we find ourselves amid two crises that that have dramatic physical and social implications.
As we continue to battle the COVID-19 health pandemic, we are also acutely aware that the conversation of race and its role in our societal interactions and civil systems is an issue of grave importance. CAPCIL joins this conversation by uniting with local, state, and national leaders in denouncing discrimination of any kind on the basis of race.
We also join our leaders in denouncing lawlessness and campaigns for anarchy. They are equal in their destruction to the fabric of our society and counterintuitive to the CAPCIL’s objective of partnering to find solutions that raise all residents of our communities
.
The wisdom found in our rich and colorful history reminds us that at our core, we as Americans value all people, and that, “…all men/women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”(US Declaration of Independence, 1776) While we wholly believe that these rights are absolute in nature, CAPCIL also acknowledges that our understanding of these sentiments have evolved for the better over time. These principles are not inherently or systemically racist.
These are inclusive and freeing ideals that belong to all Americans and transcend the daily news cycle. Today we are engaging in uncomfortable conversations around the dinner table, in our places of business, at the neighborhood coffee shop, in our classrooms, and within our public offices. These complicated conversations are nurturing a better understanding of how we can and must continue our traditions of celebrating both our differences and commonalities as one people. That is good for us. It is good for our communities and all those who live in them.
Community Action envisions a resilient community where we work as collaborators to raise up the marginalized and vulnerable populations. We advocate for an intentional and planned devotion of time and resources. Helping people, changing lives is our promise.
That promise doesn’t change with skin color, zip code, educational attainment, gender, disability, or religious beliefs. But we cannot achieve this great feat through divisiveness and disunity. CAPCIL chooses to take this moment to lead, to love one another, to listen and to speak.
Submitted by
Breann Titus
Director of Agency Development
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois (CAPCIL)
