Mainers from every background and generation are braving a global pandemic to march for racial justice. From Presque Isle to Kennebunk, we are saying the names George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many more Black Americans who have been unjustifiably killed by police.

United Way’s global mission is to fight for the education, health, and financial stability of every person in every community. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be healthy, to learn, and to live with dignity. Our society has an obligation to work to remove barriers for and provide support for all people. We must strive for concrete changes in policy to reduce risk to Black and Brown lives. We must fight for equity and recognize that our communities of color deserve more than life—they deserve the right to access quality schools, safe and affordable neighborhoods, and jobs and careers with economic mobility.

Together, we have the power to end poverty, to dismantle racism, and to create a just nation for all. But it will require great change, and it will require all of us to use our voices, platforms and relationships to stand up for each other and for justice. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, we have always worked with and formed coalitions among sometimes unlikely allies to tackle complex challenges like poverty and inequity. Moving forward, we will do so in a manner that is much more intentionally aligned with racial justice.

The word “United” in our name means something. How we “Live United” matters. Americans disagree on many things, but we all must agree that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and that we are better as a nation when we pull together to confront our crises, rather than let those crises divide us.

We invite all those who receive this message to join us in this work, and help us hold accountable our society, our institutions, and ourselves.