our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter “ ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “ Black Lives Matter

Nova Labs stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against injustice. We mourn the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other unarmed African-Americans who have lost their lives to systemic racism in our country. We must confront inequality and push for change. Each of us plays a role in protecting basic human and civil rights in our communities. To our African-American makers, family, friends, colleagues, and children: we hear your cries for justice, we see your plight at the hands of institutionalized racism, we believe in your value and potential.

As we all navigate the current COVID-19 pandemic, let us not forget our cultural pandemic: over 400 years of systemic racism that our nation has yet to vaccinate itself against. To stop the spread, we must forgo silence, comfort, and inaction. Nova Labs stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against inequality and injustice to build a better future.

We, as a Board and an organization, are part of the failure. We should have moved earlier to recognize that while we are all united in making, there is underrepresentation of people of color. While we do not yet know the solution, we are committed to gathering the resources to educate ourselves, and we would like both your help and your voice in the conversations. As an all-volunteer organization, we empower our community to lead and create the solutions our makerspace needs.

We are dedicated to doing the work to help dismantle systemic racism in our immediate community and do the right thing. We want to ensure our African-American and other underrepresented neighbors, colleagues, friends, and children have access to the tools they need to grow, make, and lead.

As a makerspace, we know that one needs access to tools, inspiration, a supportive community, and mentorship to create something lasting. Building an equitable society is no different. It is a Herculean task to reverse systemic racism – but by challenging each others’ implicit biases, striving to be more culturally competent, listening and believing each others’ experiences, and advocating for more equitable policies, we can create an heirloom – together.

So grab a tool…let’s start rebuilding a more equitable society together.

– Nova Labs’ Board of Directors