Not a PR Statement, but a Plan
A letter to the community from our President & CEO, Shuronda Robinson:
“Since Tuesday, May 25, I have been trying to write a statement from my company to express our grief, anger, and horror at seeing the death of another Black man at the hands of the police.
I could not write a statement. It has been too painful…because in George Floyd, I see my children, my three young Black men.
So instead, I wrote a plan.
The Playbook for Black Austin Activism is our response to eradicating White supremacy in Austin. It lays out a clear set of specific actions that individuals in Austin’s Black community can take to change systems of oppression and hatred.
It is what I know best to do – to take ideas, policies, projects, and engage with people most immediately affected to influence and guide decision making on issues. It is my contribution, with the support of my team, to empower individuals within Austin’s Black community so that we can live lives of peace and beauty.
Others outside of Austin’s Black community are welcome to use it, too.
This is my offering to our community. I know the Playbook is not perfect, nor is it the final answer. Creating clarity around issues is what my company does day by day, project by project, and client by client with all the love our hearts can share.
George Floyd and I attended the same high school in Houston. We walked the halls of Jack Yates Sr. High at the same time. I don’t remember him. But I share the grief of my classmates who knew him. My team and I offer our deepest sympathies to the family and the community who loved him.”
Shuronda Robinson
President/CEO