When we purchased land in upstate New York, we anticipated resistance to the project and to all that Black Women’s Blueprint stands for. The vision of Restore Forward, simply put, is to create a center for racial reconciliation for the 21st century. In this moment, we find ourselves painfully confronted with racism that poses an ever-present threat to the core essence of our mission. These occurrences of racial hatred against our team provide a stark and violent counterpoint to the peace and justice work we strive tirelessly to carry out every single day.
In spite of these challenges, we will continue to lift our mandate of racial healing high and move boldly with our vision for Restore Forward. As we begin to educate and forge relationships with our neighbors, our most pressing need is to ensure the safety and security of the future of this project, and especially of our team. Our most critical need at this moment is to ensure the security and safety of our existing property and building, as well as the bodily security of our staff who are visiting the land on a regular basis. Security infrastructure we had planned to purchase well into the future has now become dire.
Working with our team planning committees and finance team, we need to raise $500,000 to ensure the land is secure and to install a complex security infrastructure to adequately protect us as we build Restore Forward. Some of our immediate needs include repair to the entry gate to the property which has been damaged. The driveway is about half a mile to the main building and needs proper lighting, security for an existing 12,000 square foot building on the land, psychological support for our staff, and various other security technologies.
Investment in racial healing is critically needed for our organization, now more than ever.
We are so grateful for your ongoing support, and for holding our team in prayers for safety and protection in the coming weeks and months.