Today a jury returned a guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin in his trial for the death of George Floyd.
While we at Food Lifeline recognize a guilty verdict is the first step towards justice for the murder of George Floyd, we know the outcome of this case does not negate generations of brutality and oppression against Black men specifically, and people of color generally in our nation, nor does it signal a trustworthy new direction for a justice system that has historically and consistently failed so many other black men and women, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. These systems and institutions that perpetuate harm to our BIPOC family, friends and neighbors remain intact in spite of this verdict. Today we stand with our community to say they must be boldly challenged to change.
All of us at Food Lifeline come together with our community to breathe a sigh of relief for the outcome of this trial. And tomorrow we will link arms with one another to actively renew both our individual and collective fight for racial equity and for social justice.
This fight is our fight at Food Lifeline because we know that until there is racial equity and social justice for all, there can be no end to hunger – no food justice for all. Black people continue to be twice as likely in our nation to experience hunger and poverty than their white counterparts. Systemic racism is the root cause of poverty, and poverty is the leading driver of food insecurity and hunger. In this great nation, it is simply not acceptable to allow any of our neighbors to suffer these inequities.
For all of these reasons, we continue to call out the examples of inequity and injustice that prevent every one of us from experiencing the liberty and justice our nation promises all of us.
We stand as unified partners with the many other organizations lifting up our BIPOC colleagues, friends and neighbors. We pledge not only to continue to learn  but also to boldly act in ways that advance a more just and equitable world. Today, we extend love and care to all our BIPOC community members throughout all the communities in which we work, and we celebrate with you this measure of justice for George Floyd.
- Linda Nageotte, President & CEO Food Lifeline
