Messages from the President & CEO
An Important Decision in Minneapolis
The following message was released this evening by Maria Cristalli, Hillside President and CEO.
On May 25, 2020, a terrible crime was committed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For millions of people around the country and around the world, the murder of George Floyd was heartbreaking and infuriating—and our grief and outrage were magnified by the thought that so many other men and women of color continued to meet similar fates.
A jury has now returned three guilty verdicts in the trial against the man whose actions caused Mr. Floyd’s death. Those verdicts can’t erase the pain of what happened that day. They can’t single-handedly remove the deep-rooted stain of systemic racism that has been made evident by the deaths of Mr. Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, Daunte Wright, and too many others.
One jury’s decision can’t undo generations of pain and injustice, but it remains an important step in the right direction. People everywhere needed to know that the justice system is capable of taking a stand for that which is simply, inarguably wrong.
The women and men of Hillside see every day the effects of systemic inequalities that are disproportionately felt by Black and Brown people. That perspective, and our commitment to our mission, drive us to make a difference—and that difference is felt every day, in so many ways and in so many homes, schools and communities.
Humanity prevailed today. What happens tomorrow is up to all of us.
COVID-19, and Hillside’s Commitment to Our Community
At Hillside, our dedicated and talented teams provide individualized services and support to more than 14,000 children, adults and families every year. We understand that because each person’s challenges are unique, the same is true for their pathways to healing.
But right now, a common danger is uniting the communities we serve, our country and the world. The novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, is spreading with alarming speed and requiring everyone—young and old, urban and rural, living in poverty and affluence—to take strong and immediate precautions in the name of personal and public safety.
Hillside’s people have rallied together in the face of this unprecedented outbreak. We’re working round-the-clock to refine our existing pandemic prevention plan and ensure that the children and families who rely on our services can remain healthy and safe. And we’re equally committed to our staff, who must balance their dedication to Hillside’s mission with the need to care for themselves and their own families. That’s a particular challenge, in the face of school and business closings that make child care and other issues a vital concern.
This evolving crisis is asking much of all of us—and for the good of our communities and each other, we must rise to the challenge. Hillside supports the protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we encourage everyone to follow their simple advisories that will help slow the spread of COVID-19.
On behalf of the entire Hillside family, please do all you can to protect yourselves—and in so doing, protect each other. Now more than ever, we are one community. We will get through this together.
Maria Cristalli
President and CEO
Hillside