Dear Friends,

At the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, we view equity as our responsibility, and we are committed to helping all our friends and neighbors thrive and prosper.  Quite simply, we believe that, while we are all different, we all deserve respect, and we understand that a thriving community cannot exist where all are not welcomed or treated as equals.

The circumstances leading to the recent deaths of Mr. George Floyd and too many other people of color underscore the amount of work that needs to – and must – be done in our country to realize and insure the inherent value of every person. It is painfully obvious that laws, including those prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and physical or mental abilities, have not been enough to result in equal justice for all.

We all must do better, and at CFMC we believe this starts with recognizing that our silence in the face of these and similar tragedies is unacceptable. We do not have the solutions to the deep-rooted problems that got us here, but we know that we can – and must – do our part to play a constructive role in advancing justice and social change, including by being open and responsive to active and constructive dialogue, rather than just accepting one-sided monologues.  Like so many other fair-minded people, many of us have too often accepted the status quo of “not again,” rather than embracing “never again”.

There’s work to do. There are many challenges ahead, and yet there are tremendous opportunities, too.  We are Middlesex County – we take pride in seeing obstacles as opportunities to work toward real, meaningful solutions. We are “Great People Who Do Great Things.”

In the face of challenges such as these, we all have choices to make:

• Isolation or Community
• Apathy or Passion
• Limits or Opportunity
• Exclusion or Inclusion
• Indifference or Compassion

The right choices are clear.

Sincerely,

John Boccalatte, Chairman, Board of Directors                      Cynthia H. Clegg, President & CEO