A Statement from the Downtown Denver Partnership Board Chairman and CEO

There are no right words. There are only right actions:
A Statement from the Downtown Denver Partnership Board Chairman and CEO

Mr. George Floyd will soon be laid to rest.

His family will seek the right words as they say goodbye.

Our community will seek the right words to express our reaction to his death. Admirably, many are expressing some of the words we need to hear in city streets across the globe.

But, there are no right words.

There are no right words that can possibly overcome the systemic racism that has been entrenched in our country over hundreds of years. There are no right words that will wipe away the inequities that Black and Indigenous people and People of Color face in our society. No words can return us to the slumber we were in before our abrupt awakening on May 25, 2020.

There are, however, right actions.

We are confident that there are right actions both large and small that together will make our society and economy more inclusive. There are right actions to address inequality and ensure safe and just processes to protect Black lives. We must take action to truly understand the pain felt by those who have had societal restrictions placed on their actions, their opportunities and their voices, simply because of the color of their skin.

Without a doubt, the time for seeking the right words has long passed.

Now is the time for action.

At the Downtown Denver Partnership, we will take responsibility for our part. We commit to working alongside and in support of Black and Indigenous people and People of Color to address racism. We will listen to and amplify their words and voices as we together build a welcoming and inclusive city. 

We can do more. And we will.

Signed,

Trinidad Rodriguez
Chairman, Downtown Denver Partnership

Tami Door
President & CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership