From our elders, youth, neighbors, sisters, brothers, and respected community members we hear: the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial is a step forward, but this verdict is accountability, not true justice. We continue to mourn lives lost. This week, we say the names of Ma’Khia Bryant, Daunte Wright, and Adam Toledo in rage and sorrow knowing there are too many more.

We must shape the present and the future to be more just. At NIAD, we are continually learning what we are called to do. As an organization, we are:  

• Holding space for weekly conversations at the intersection of art and social justice.
• Making structural changes that allow all community members to have access to leadership and direction for the organization.  

As we begin to return to in-person and site-based activities, NIAD’s staff and artists will be trained on health and safety. This will include reimagining NIAD’s De-escalation Policy as a Recentering Policy.  

Based on NIAD’s nearly four decades of community studio practices, the training reduces reliance on law enforcement and encourages problem solving, resourcing, and maintaining center in community. Supremacist violence is a public health issue. Cultivating a sense of centeredness as a community is a public wellness opportunity. We enter into this new learning with humility, and recognition of the lives and leadership that have brought us into new dialogues around social justice.  

We are here to learn together with you, our community, as we create a future focused on true justice. Want to know more? We’d be happy to share our Recentering Policy with you.

Just reach out.

In community,  
Amanda

Image: Untitled (D1339) Halisi Noel-Johnson.