Sister Cities of Durham, North Carolina

    Sister Cities of Durham is deeply committed to a peaceful world developed through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. As such, we join in support of the peaceful demonstrations, here and across the nation, that in recent days have sought to call attention to racial injustice and social inequality sadly deeply rooted in our society.
    As an organization devoted to promoting citizen-to-citizen diplomacy and international understanding, we profoundly regret the image of our country conveyed in the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. We share the abhorrence Durham Mayor Steve Schewel and more than 70 other North Carolina mayors expressed at that “act of unspeakable violence, cold inhumanity, and racism.” At the same time, we know that millions are likewise appalled, and that is a source of hope for the future.

    We acknowledge, also, that too many of our brothers and sisters are abused or discriminated against because of the color of their skin or place of origin.

All minority groups have the rights as human beings to be free from violence against them.

    We are proud of our city’s largely peaceful but forceful response to 
Mr. Floyd’s death, a reflection of Durham’s open commitment to -- and acknowledged need of far more progress toward -- social equity. That, we hope, stands as a beacon to our nine international Sister Cities and others around the nation and the world.