Like many of you, these last few weeks have been one of great reflection. Of taking a step back, a moment to listen (really listen) and to hold space for so many that are hurting. My community, my friends, my team.

Also like so many of you, I am a parent. My little boys are two and five. They love to ride bikes in our neighborhood, they run away from me when I ask them to come closer, they sit in the car and pretend to drive. Sometimes I sit in the yard and watch them, and sometimes I cook dinner inside. I feel safe with them playing outside. If they went running down the street, out of my line of sight, a neighbor would scoop them up and bring them home. That is a privilege my children have. I know what it feels like to lose a child, and I worry every day about something happening to my children. But I do not ever have to worry that I will lose one of my children because of the color of their skin. That is a privilege that I have, and one that I wish was afforded to every mother on this planet. But it’s not.

If you’ve ever had a five year old, you know that fairness is everything. So now we talk a lot about fairness. And how as a society, we haven’t been fair. How we haven’t treated everyone with the kindness that we expect others to treat us with. And what we can do to try and be better – be more fair, be more kind.

Black lives matter. The lives of Black mothers and fathers and children matter. In the last two weeks, we have paused sharing any of our own content, instead using our social media channels to amplify the voices in our community that need our support right now. We care deeply for our Black neighbors, friends, family and community members, and support is in our DNA. This is just one way we know how to be supportive, and we are committed to learning and sharing more ways we can do our part, to be more fair, be more kind.

We see you, we hear you, we’re listening, and we love you.

With love,
Laura
Give InKind Founder/CEO