United Way of King County denounces all forms of hate and identity-based oppression. We denounce racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, transphobia, colorism, ageism, sexism, Asian hate, immigrant hate, and any other form of indifference toward or intolerance of people of different backgrounds.

We detest the burning of Black churches, the defacing of mosques, the vandalizing of synagogues, or any other acts against places of worship.

We abhor the removal of hijabs from the faces of Muslim women, the cries of “Go back home,” to immigrants (if all immigrants returned home, only Indigenous people would remain), the violent attacks on the Asian community, the painting of swastikas, the raising of Confederate Battle Flags, and the spreading of hate rhetoric online.

Rooted in our consciousness is a deep-seated loathing of injustice in all forms and a desire to support the victimized—including those we know, those we don’t know, those we partner and align with, and total strangers.

In all our work—from preventing evictions to providing access to resources and quality education—we see a history of systemic racism and unjust policies that created disparities. It would be counterintuitive to combat problems our communities face while ignoring the ills that caused the problems.

That’s why United Way launched partnerships that address economic inequality, homelessness, and education disparities that disproportionately impact people of color.

Furthermore, our commitment to standing against injustice is why we’ve taken the following actions:

• We recently quit X (formerly known as Twitter), in light of CEO Elon Musk’s hate speech and vitriol, culminating in his antisemitic posts.
• We called attention to the area’s sordid past including restrictive covenants that excluded Blacks, Asians, and Jews from purchasing property in certain Seattle-area neighborhoods.
• We denounced antisemitism following the vandalizing of a temple in Mercer Island and the hate speech left on the wall of a building across from our partner Jewish Family Services.
• We’ve mourned the violence and loss of life from the Israel-Hamas War.
• We spoke out against Russia’s war against Ukraine.
• We denounced attacks on Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities.
• We called out local law enforcement for the hurtful comments an officer made regarding the killing of an Indian woman who was run over by a police vehicle.
• We denounced the slaying of 10 African Americans in a Buffalo, NY supermarket.
• We advocate against policies that disproportionately affect low-income communities.

United Way will continue to speak out against injustice, hatred, and oppression, as we are inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”