06.02.2020 / Statement

Statement: A Fierce Urgency of Now is Required to Address Racial and Health Inequities

Washington, D.C. – Frederick Isasi, Families USA Executive Director, released the following statement on the recent killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

George Floyd died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer after pleading for help for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. His murder is one more example of a criminal justice system that so very often devalues black lives, perpetuating racial injustice.

Floyd’s death occurs in the context of a pandemic that has taken the lives of over 100,000 people in the United States, with our Black neighbors, parents, grandparents, and children almost three times more likely to die than their white friends and neighbors.

COVID-19 is the latest example of the profound racial inequities within the health care system and society.  At Families USA, we are listening to the cries of anguish and the cries for justice. We join the calls for criminal justice reform and ending police brutality.

And we honor the memory of George Floyd by challenging institutional racism in our work to ensure that every living soul in our nation has the chance to live their healthiest life. Black lives matter.

For more information:

Blog post on George Floyd’s death from Dr. Amber Hewitt, Families USA’s Director of Health Equity 

Families USA’s report on health inequities and COVID-19