Black Lives Matter.
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Rayshard Brooks. Chinedu Okobi.
We say their names with broken hearts. Their lives mattered, and we are horrified by their senseless murders at the hands of those sworn to protect them. The legacy of violence against Black people in America dates back more than 400 years, and that of police brutality to the slave patrols. This is not a new or recent problem, and it is not one that can be solved through mild or superficial reforms. We need real change, real justice.
Sunnyvale holds a special place in our hearts. And there is much that makes our city unique. But our city is not a bubble. It is not exempt from America’s racist history. Only 2% of our city’s population is Black. That is not an accident, but the result of deliberate decisions made at all levels of government—with broad community support.
We recognize that anti-Black violence is inextricably tied to our nation’s broader history of racism, a history in which our city inevitably shares. Our city was built on Ohlone land by immigrants’ hands. Many of those immigrants have since been forced from the city they helped build by rising rents. Others hang on by a thread. And we know that our Asian and Latinx neighbors have faced renewed racist harassment for years, incited from the highest levels of government.
Livable Sunnyvale is committed to a Sunnyvale that is diverse, inclusive, and safe for all residents. We view each of our three pillars of housing, transportation, and environmental equity through a lens of racial justice. Police brutality cannot be separated from the deliberate segregation of our cities through racial covenants, red-lining, and exclusionary zoning; nor from the disinvestment in safe streets and public transit in Black and brown communities; nor from the environmental violence that has historically been perpetuated against these communities. Nor can we speak about a “livable” Sunnyvale, without first acknowledging the right to life itself.
Livable Sunnyvale is committed to centering the need for racial justice in our advocacy. In the near term, our focus will be on learning how we can be better allies in the fight against racism and anti-Blackness. To that end, we will be holding a series of public discussions on how racism has shaped our city, and how racial justice intersects with our mission.
But learning is not enough. We need action. We need change. We need justice. We rededicate ourselves now to undoing the legacy of structural racism in our city. We may not complete the work, but we know that we are not free to desist from it.
Let’s get to it.
On behalf of Livable Sunnyvale,
Richard Mehlinger, Chair
Tara Martin Milius, Vice Chair
Justin Wang, Vice Chair
Galen Davis, Tech Director
Julia Liu, Membership Director
Gail Rubino, Secretary
Mike Serrone, Communications Director
Sue Serrone, Chair Emerita
