A Statement of the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Kent County

At Rebuilding Together, we believe in a country where all people and communities thrive, where everyone has a safe place to call home, and where neighbors don’t hesitate to help and support one another during difficult times.

We cannot put into words the anger and sadness we feel over the murder of George Floyd and the many other people of color - known and those unfamiliar to us - who have lost their lives as a result of systemic racism. It has revealed major deficiencies in our criminal justice system, and also the extent to which racism is embedded in many other institutions within our society. While we cannot bring these victims back, we can help rebuild our communities and country to be more equitable and less prejudiced.

For 16 years, we at Rebuilding Together Kent County have been working with our neighbors, a majority of whom are neighbors of color, to help them keep their homes safe, dry and warm using primarily volunteers from Kent County. This moment, however, causes us as an organization to closely examine how we are working to remove barriers and be an even more effective force for equality in Kent County.

We still have a lot of work to do to make our community stronger. We will listen better, and continue to work together and demand better of ourselves. Only then will we be able to see real, positive and far-reaching change.