An open letter to our communities:
Our nation, our families, our colleagues, our friends and our neighbors are hurting. We’re witnessing an abuse of power so great, we ache for those wronged, and we yearn for our world to be righted. The CAN Council is committed to being a part of resolving such injustices. That begins by acknowledging that not only do black lives matter, but they deserve to be cared for, defended and protected.
Sadly, abuse of power is nothing new. For centuries, authority figures and those we’re taught to trust have abused their power and caused great suffering targeting people based on their race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, religion and culture.
As a community, we’re wondering what we can do to counter such powerful forces. The answer is in the power of one. The power of one act of goodness, one courageous person, one company of integrity, one community united – to speak up for those vulnerable among us – is capable of creating meaningful change.
While our CAN Council works each day to harness our collective power of one for abused children, we know with great clarity the abuses of power suffered by other vulnerable populations. We hurt for you, we want better for you, and we lift our voices in support of you.
To the honorable men & women who dedicate their life’s work to serving and protecting, we stand with you in holding abusers of power accountable for their actions and in helping victims heal. To our community members who may wonder what impact you can make on an issue of such enormous complexity, I ask that you harness your power of one. Stay alert to all forms of abuse. Speak up against abuses of power. Get involved with a charity serving those harmed. And should you have thoughts about how our CAN Council could further our power of one, I’d love to hear from you.
I can be reached at eyeager@cancouncil.org.
For the protection of our entire community and believing in the power of one,
Emily
Emily Yeager | President/CEO
CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region
