By John C. Hollar, Board Chair, on behalf of the ALF SV Board of Directors
The Board of the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley stands in solidarity with all Americans who are speaking out, taking action, and seeking change in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Floyd homicide compounds the nation’s pain, shock, and anguish after the all too similar killings of Ahmaud Arbury, Breonna Taylor, and countless others who have lost their lives simply because they are Black.
We denounce racism in all its forms, wherever found—from the public racism painfully evident in many of America’s institutions, to the casual racism rooted in the absence of individual self-awareness and basic empathy. We condemn all racially motivated brutality, whether administered at the hands of the police or by private citizens. We believe that silence in the face of these hateful forces is ultimately as corrosive and destructive as the prejudice itself. We therefore also believe that all Americans have the right to protest these acts peacefully, publicly, and collectively without fearing for their lives.
The American Leadership Forum was established in 1980 in Houston, Texas—George Floyd’s hometown—as leaders there looked for peaceful, permanent alternatives to racial unrest and community violence. At the time, our co-founder, Joe Jaworski, referred to racism as one of “the devaluing prejudices that we all hold.” He believed then, as we believe today, that openly acknowledging ingrained human prejudice is an essential first step in our country’s never-ending search for justice, equity, and peace.
Today ALF chapters across the country, including ours, carry on this work. We strive to prepare diverse leaders, put them in relationship with each other, expand their perspectives, and help them gain empathy for life experiences and viewpoints different from their own. At this difficult moment in our nation’s history, we join with our brother and sister organizations—and, indeed, with all like-minded Americans—who seek to turn the crippling tide of racism through authentic dialogue, difficult conversations, vulnerable inquiry, and informed action.
