Literary Cleveland joins everyone in our city and across the country to denounce the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and every person of color who has lost their life to police violence, racism, and white supremacy. We believe literature plays a role in exposing injustice, giving voice to the voiceless, and driving real change in individuals and in society. As Toni Morrison said, "Books are a form of political action." Writing and reading have the ability to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, to amplify the voices of those suffering injustice and to challenge those who perpetrate or benefit from that same injustice. To that end we are using this moment to challenge ourselves to do better, turning to literary tools to fight racism. But while our actions may begin with reading and writing they cannot end there. If we are to dismantle the structures of systemic racism and white supremacy we must do more than dream of a new world, we must take tangible steps to create it anew each day. As Cleveland’s own Third Space Action Lab wrote, now is the time to “look inward for answers to the most uncomfortable question of all: what are you willing to do to prove that Black lives really matter to you?” Freedom is a constant struggle. Join us in speaking up and speaking out. — Literary Cleveland