Merrick Community Services Statement on the Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice
—   Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King 1964

The verdict represents an important step in the long overdue need to address the institutional and systemic racism that contributed to George Floyd’s murder and that (sadly) African Americans continue to experience daily, we recognize that this is just the beginning of the tremendous work ahead for all of us.  Afterall, the moral arc of the universe doesn’t bend toward justice by itself.  Each of us has an obligation to do our part: to doing the bending.  Only then will real justice occur for all in our society.  We are not there yet……not by a long shot, in fact.

So, this is not a time to celebrate, as much as it is a Call To Action.
Each of us has an opportunity and (moral) obligation, in fact, to do our part to dismantle and challenge and change systems that were too often designed to maintain the status quo and perpetuate the privilege and dominance of one culture at the expense of others: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.