Racial Justice

Black Lives Matter

The Godley Family Foundation stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We oppose racism, violence and harassment in any form. As an organization committed to global health, we know that racism is a systemic problem that intersects with issues of poverty, educational inequity, gender bias, unequal access to healthcare and environmental degradation. It is no accident that in the U.S., the Covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate and unjust impact on people of color and people in low-income communities with higher rates of underlying health conditions. The structural biases and inequities built into our systems must be changed.

We do not pretend to understand or have answers, but we pledge to work with our partners — including some of the world’s most inspiring young social entrepreneurs — to listen, learn, recognize our own biases, and take concrete steps to dismantle racism in our community in order to build a more just, green and healthy planet.

"It is a question and exercise about power. How do you cede it, how do you share it? We talk so much about systems change but it is forged in a moment of systems capture and systems failure… These are devastating structural inequities that are indications that systems cannot be changed. The work becomes how do we push back against that? This is an exercise of shifting power."

-Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green,
Skoll World Forum 2021