The Houston Public Library stands with our community members, our library customers, civic leaders, friends, and neighbors in the pursuit of racial equality and social justice. As a part of this commitment, we invite and value your thoughts and experiences related to race and social inequity. Houston Public Library invites you to type your responses, record yourself speaking, or provide images. All of these formats may be shared via this form. Select contributions will be added to the Witness to the Truth website.
A Note on Cultural Sensitivity: It is important to remember that for many people, the issue of police brutality is not an abstraction or a trending hashtag. It is unfortunately something that is experienced by Black people every day, well before the deaths of Michael Brown, Atatiana Jefferson, George Floyd, and others. People have parents, siblings, and children whose lives have been negatively affected by interactions with police and the court system. Consequently, when interviewing people about their perceptions of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is important to give people the emotional space to express themselves while also keeping the interview on track as much as possible. Understand that all interviewees may not be comfortable going into deep detail with you as an interviewer. If they are hesitant to answer a question, simply move on. Gaining trust and being respectful is crucial for collecting quality interviews.
