Dear Colleagues,

The horrific events that have occurred over the past few days has opened a deep wound in America’s heart.  We now have an opportunity for our society to begin to heal itself through the culture of inclusion and harmony.  As allies and members of a community who understand and embrace the value of inclusion, we know more than most, that separation, division, and cruelty are unacceptable to our common humanity.  The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) has built its foundation on the overarching need to respect the rights of others and to promote a society that values each and every individual.  For the last 21 years NCHPAD has pressed for systemic change in a society that has often discriminated against people with disabilities.  Disability history is filled with authoritarianism (institutionalization), injustice (workplace discrimination), and diminishment (being treated as second-class citizens).  What we have witnessed over the last several days in the Black community emphasizes how interconnected we are and how important it is to rebuild a nation where inclusion and respect for every human life is at the core of its existence.  We stand together with the Black community and all those who reject racism, ableism and ageism – we are each other’s keepers -- E pluribus Unum – “out of many, one.”

In Solidarity,

NCHPAD