The spring of 2020 saw justified uprisings erupt across the nation — from New York City to Philadelphia to Atlanta to Minneapolis to Louisville to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. While the frustration was a direct response to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless other Black Americans, the overall cause of sustained demonstrations is deeply rooted in a history of systemic racism and violent oppression.

In early June 2020, BECMA convened a group of statewide leaders, from grassroots organizations to institutional entities, to develop a list of actionable, tangible items for four groups — the private sector, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and government — to commit and follow through on in order to prove that their statement, “Black Lives Matter!,” is more than words but a vision of a world they want to make true with us.