Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning community:

At Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, we could not be more adamant: Black Lives Matter, and we must fight against racism and for equity in everything we do. In the past week, we have been inspired by demonstrations in every state across the country to protest police brutality and racial injustice more broadly -- but these protests should be only a beginning. If we look to history, we’ll see that the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days. The Freedom Riders rode for seven months. The Greensboro Sit-Ins lasted for 175 days.

Our words in this precise moment are not enough. Our ongoing actions -- and the actions of every organization that has expressed solidarity with Black people -- are what will demonstrate that our commitment is meaningful beyond this moment. We want to be held accountable for being co-conspirators in the fight against racial injustice.

Our country has a very long way to go in fighting against racism and injustice -- from state-sanctioned violence against Black people to separating children from their parents at our southern border -- and we all have a role to play in ensuring we live up to our collective values of equity and freedom.

So when our organization says that Black Lives Matter, ask us what we are doing to support Black children and Black families. When we say we care about diversity in our organization, ask us how we are building and cultivating diverse teams and leaders. When we say we care about building inclusive environments for staff and for families, ask us for specific actions we are taking to be more inclusive. When we say that being champions for justice means being anti-racists, ask us how we are supporting community efforts to combat racism. When we say we are committed to every child leaving our program with the opportunity to succeed, make us prove it.

At Acelero and Shine Early Learning, we believe that every child deserves to be seen, to be valued for their potential, and to have access to the resources they need to thrive. We are committed, now and always, to ensuring we live up to this value and we thank you for joining us in this work, now and always.

Be well,

Henry Wilde
CEO
Acelero Learning