Category: Latest News
VLP Priorities Survey
Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!
Happy Birthday, Judge G!
Happy International Interpreter/Translator Day!
Remembering Paul Kane
In Memoriam: Tim Lee
VLP Celebrates Juneteenth!
VLP will be closed tomorrow in honor of Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States.
On June 19, 1865, word reached Galveston, TX about the end of slavery- a full two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth began as a Texas state holiday and has spread to be a nationwide celebration. To learn the history of Juneteenth, please visit https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm.
VLP celebrates Juneteenth to recognize the importance of Black history and in acknowledgment of the injustices still faced the Black community today. Find resources for self-care, education, and support at https://vlpnet.org/blm/
Happy AAPI Heritage Month!
Happy Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Celebrate AAPI pride, history, and triumphs! Performances, historical trivia, panel discussions, and more content for folks with Asian heritage & their allies can be found here.
Accountability, Not Justice
Statement taken from BlackLivesMatter.com, author’s name not given. Click here to read the statement on BLM.
The Derek Chauvin Verdict
George Floyd should be here.
We mourn as his family mourns and support them in finding solace and accountability through the guilty verdict — because like countless others, they have been put in a position that they did not deserve.
But let’s be clear — This verdict does not change what we know all too well: White supremacy still exists.
An oppressive, racist system cannot and never will deliver justice for our people. It will never keep us safe. What we saw today was some form of accountability — not justice. Justice would mean George Floyd would be here. Justice would mean a system not rooted in white supremacy. It would be the end of state-sanctioned violence. It would be defunded police. It would be investments in our communities.
It remains abundantly clear that this still does not bring our loved ones back. We do not get George Floyd back. His daughter and family have to grow up without him. The day we will truly achieve justice is the day that no Black person is taken from us at the hands of police.
Though today’s guilty verdict does not bring George Floyd back, the Floyd family continues his legacy through the George Floyd Memorial Foundation which you can support here.
Let us continue to work toward abolition and Black liberation — one where Black people across the diaspora thrive, experience joy, and are no longer defined by their struggles.
Let us continue the work toward a world where there are no more George Floyds.
No more.
In the name of Black lives — the work will not stop until there are no more.
Because #BlackLivesMatter.