Black Lives Matter.
The belief of racial supremacy has been present for centuries, and violence has continuously been inflicted on our Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, especially by those whose job is to keep us safe. We should all feel safe within our own modes of transportation without the fear of not making it home to be with our families. YPT International recognizes this occurrence of racism and injustice, and our organization seeks to create a safe space of opportunities for our Black communities to thrive alongside the support of all our fellow diverse members. Together, we can work towards a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise. Here are some national resources that we recommend:
- Educate Yourself
- One of the most important things you can do is to learn something about the situation. Read about police brutality, racial inequality and historical injustice in the USA, the UK and other countries. Listen and absorb the stories and messages coming from the Black community.
- Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America: Discover how the advent of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposed them to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history resonates today.
- 2020 Impact Report: BLM Global Network Foundation, BLM PAC, and BLM Grassroots, together, make up and support a multi-faceted, global movement predicated on the belief that Black lives matter. That Black policy matters. That Black organizing matters. And that Black joy matters.
- Uniformed Police Reform
- Sign the petition: An end to the horrors of police brutality and a criminal justice system that fails to properly hold law enforcement officials accountable is long overdue.
- Contact Your Senators: End Qualified Immunity
- Take action: Call your senator and amplify the critical need for ending qualified immunity, collecting data on police encounters, and creating a national police registry that will provide transparency for the public.
Stop Asian and Pacific Islander Hate.
As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have widely escalated within the United States. YPT International condemns any acts of racism, xenophobia, and bigotry against AAPI communities. With the surge in AAPI hate crimes committed in public streets, we at YPT want to ensure our YPT community is safe, informed, and take action in reporting hate crimes. It does not matter at what level of intolerance is acted upon; HATE is HATE. Our organization is in full support of Stopping AAPI Hate and with that here are some national resources that we recommend:
- Safety Tips
- Understanding Your Right To Be Treated Fairly and Without Discrimination in Restaurants, Stores, and Other Businesses
- Local Resources
We CAN do better. We NEED to do better. We MUST do better.
We at YPT International fully support all our diverse members, especially our Black, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, in the movement to end systemic racism, discrimination, and intolerance. Collectively, we share the pain, anger and frustration felt across America over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dreasjon Reed, Daunte Wright, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, and so many more. The violence and hate crime is still ongoing and it needs to stop now. This is not a moment in history, but rather a movement in condemning racism itself.
We can’t talk about racism without addressing the history of racism in transportation. Transportation has an element of systemic racism that has allowed racism, discrimination, and intolerance to sustain itself. From interstate highways built through communities of color to an underinvestment of transit services, underserved populations continue to be left out of consideration when decisions that impact their day to day lives are made. The traditional makeup of our industry has predominately been of one race, gender identity, sexuality, and of fully-abled bodies creating change that only represents these limited voices.
- Read ‘The Wrong Complexion For Protection.’ How Race Shaped America’s Roadways And Cities
- Read Equity in Practice: A Guidebook for Transit Agencies
- Watch The Legacy of Racism in Transit – How We Got Here and What To Do About It
YPT International has and will continue to enable spaces for all. Here’s what we’ve achieved so far:
- Our board serves as a snapshot of the future of transportation leaders, with the inclusion of Black, Indigenous, POC and LGBTQ+ professionals
- 2021 Hispanic American Heritage Month
- 2021 LGBTQ+ Pride Month
- 2021 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- 2021 Women’s History Month
- 2021 Transit Equity Day and Black History Month
- 2020 National Rural in Transportation event, highlighting indigenous communities
- 2020 Black History Month
- 2020 Creating communication protocols that encourage the use of pronouns for our Board of Directors
- 2019 Established more membership demographic options for members to identify with as part of their membership profile (I.e. non-binary, trans-man, trans-woman, etc.)
We will continue marching forward and identifying action items that increase the visibility of those who face racism, discrimination and intolerance. For those that are interested in collaborating with us, or want to become involved with these efforts, please contact (info@yptransportation.org).
We hope to see you standing with us, making moves and inspiring change to help put an end to systemic racism and hate crime.
