“As we prepare to move into the Thanksgiving holiday season and yes, we are thankful for this verdict, let us be reminded that although justice was served in the Ahmaud Arbery trial. A life is still lost and countless other lives have and continue to be lost, because our justice system is still flawed!
As a black person in America, it has been proven we do not have the same liberties as our white counterparts. Our boys can’t wear hoodies, we aren’t safe in the comforts of our own home, and we can’t take a jog in the neighborhood because someone could become fearful of their life.
Ahmaud Arbery, an innocent Black man who was jogging down a road in Glynn County, Georgia was murdered by a white father and son who armed themselves and gave chase to a young black man running in their subdivision. Daily we see how black people are criminalized for just living, and we must continue to stand up against the criminalization of black men and women.
We should also not forget the many senseless lives being lost right in our communities daily! Men, women and children, gunned down in the streets like animals. If we’re going to hold others accountable for killing our people, we must stand up and hold those who look like us accountable as well. They too must pay the price for their reckless regard for another person’s life.
The NAACP Philadelphia Branch pledges to always work to ensure we stand in solidarity with other organizations and communities across the nation to continue to fight for justice.