Minneapolis Sailing Center is deeply saddened by the Murder of George Floyd. We too watched with horror as 4 police officers took his life with total disregard of his pleas for help. We mourn his death. We are also mindful that George Floyd’s death is not an exception, but another in the long list of Black men and women who were victims of police violence. We say unequivocally that Black Lives Matter.
The mission of Minneapolis Sailing Center is “to foster an inclusive, sustainable community and to teach sailing to all.” Events of the past several days have given us pause to assess how well we are living up to that mission. We have a long way to go. Both our membership and student body are disproportionately white. We must do better to provide access for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in our programming so that Minneapolis Sailing Center is truly representative of all community members.
We ask that you join MSC in helping bring sailing to all. At this time, that means supporting BIPOC communities in the Twin Cities. The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBBAC) has set out to raise $5 million dollars. All proceeds will go directly to the small businesses whose properties were damaged, and to rebuild the community in North Minneapolis. Donate Here. Help Minneapolis and St. Paul communities of color rebuild and recreate a vision where all people are valued equally and given equal constitutional protection under the law.
Here are some additional resources provided by the community. Here is an excellent map of community organizations that is regularly updated, both in need of volunteers, supplies, and donations.
In the spirit of self-reflection and self-assessment, we must consider the historical nature of institutional and endemic racism within yacht clubs and the sailing community. In 1959, the Seafarers Yacht Club on the Chesapeake was created because Black boaters were not allowed to fuel or dock in most marinas and were not allowed admission in clubs. In 1974, a Chicago reporter from the New York times noted that the 16 most prestigious private clubs in Chicago all prevented Black membership, and only 75 out of 16,825 club members were Black. Just three months ago, a yacht club in Connecticut was accused in court of “denying memberships to minorities and women while benefiting from a federal loan and its pennies-a-day lease of riverfront property from the city”. It is clear that yacht clubs and sailing have been slow to desegregate and root out institutional racism around the country.
MSC does not see this as an excuse, but rather an opportunity. The entire world has turned their attention on the Twin Cities. Our community has become the epicenter of the fight for equal justice, equal rights and equal opportunity for BIPOC in the country. MSC feels deeply connected to these fights, all the more so because of our geography, on the corner of Lake Street, and on a body of water previously named after a proponent of slavery and segregation. If there has ever been a time to meaningfully talk about racism in our community, that time is now. If there has ever been a moment to assess our own white privilege that moment is here. If there has ever been an event to catalyze and crystallize our commitment to fulfill our mission, this is it.
We hope this is the beginning of a new conversation that not only helps us heal, but re-imagines the status quo, both for MSC and the community at large. Moving forward, we seek to follow BIPOC in our community to support their vision. We know that only when a boat is sailed in harmony, with main and jib working together, can a ship weather troubled waters. Let us steady the tiller, and join hands such that we trim our sails in the same direction – towards a more just and peaceful world.