Livonia, Mich. (June 25, 2020) — We are in a pivotal moment in history. With each story of hate and racial injustice that floods our screens, our hearts break a little more. The number of lost lives, lost voices, and examples of racial injustice, continue to pile up and have inspired us, the employees, to ask one unifying question: How can we help?
Change starts with us — right here, right now.
The credit union industry is about "people helping people," and we proudly reaffirm that we stand united in that commitment. Our company team, credit union teams, and credit union members include people of all races, religions, cultures, physical abilities, neurological abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identity or expressions. By not being able to speak openly and respectfully, we lose so much about what makes our teams unique. We lose when we do not listen and when we do not ask questions. If we don't provide a forum for people to be heard, we lose. We lose connection. We lose tolerance. We lose momentum.
No human should have to suffer the indignities of being judged by the color of their skin. This is why we are making a commitment to addressing our blindness and bias and talking to one another about how we can be better. Better co-workers. Better leaders. Better friends. For too long, the avoidance of cultural taboos keep us at arm's length from each other, protecting us from our own discomforts while ignoring the discomforts of others. We are embracing uncomfortable discussions of how to improve, and we'll use that as a springboard for meaningful change. We cannot tolerate any form of discrimination or unfair treatment. At home or at work.
It is not enough to focus only on our organization. We must take this commitment to our communities. We will support and participate in organized social movements that expand awareness of injustice and that bring change to eradicate systemic racism and discrimination of any kind. This will not be easy. In fact, it will be quite hard. Yet, we must commit to embracing these difficulties in order to effect meaningful change and resilience against apathy. Through this process, we hope to become more respectful, loving, and kind. We seek to listen. We seek to be heard. The time is now. As the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The time is always right to do what is right."
We proudly stand behind the Black Lives Matter movements and the right of all people to peacefully assemble to raise awareness and to affect change. Join us.
The employees of the Michigan Credit Union League and CUSG
