Co-Founder & President
The 400 Foundation, Inc.
In early December 1955 a small group of Civil Rights organizations and community leaders gathered in the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama to begin organizing what would become the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. I doubt very seriously at the time they had any inclination that the two tired feet of a frustrated soul named Rosa Parks would ignite a movement that mobilized millions to march and enshrine legislative change in America.
I sincerely believe, that although we have not gathered physically, we are gathering digitally in the same spirit, with the same sense of urgency, and with the same sense of purpose bound together by the invisible glue of outrage with what we see in America.
We gather in the name of our generations Black Martyrs, the tens of thousands of lifeless Black Bodies who should still be with us today, from Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and a list too long to capture in these few lines— we gather for our grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and loved ones who will never have their names printed in newspapers, scroll across television screens, or populate social media news feeds, but our Black Martyrs will forever have their names indelibly etched in our hearts, minds, and souls.
Today, you have decided that enough is enough and in the timeless words of Fannie Lou Hamer, that “you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Let me warn you, the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted an unprecedented 381 days, and the reality is that after over 400 years, we are not going to reach that proverbial promise land of Black Equity overnight, but God as my witness we will get there, but we will only get there together through a sustained effort and an unwavering commitment to the cause.
In the coming days, you will see content and conversations disseminated through our social media accounts and a weekly newsletter to track the progress of the Black Acceleration Movement, discover ways to lead, get more involved, and surveys to inform the direction of the movement. We are moving toward a wholistic plan framed by the pillars of Investing in BLACK LIVES, BLACK LIVELIHOODS, and BLACK LOVE for the pursuit of BLACK EQUITY in America.
Our plan over the launch period is to first CONNECT change agents, then CHANNEL our collective energy, and finally CREATE systemic change.
We can only do this with your help and by each of us committing to find like-minded individuals, organizations, businesses, and resources within our networks to grow the movement to over 100,000 strong in the first 40 days on our social media outlets and email registry. With over 42 million Black people in America and allies across the globe this is not an aspirational but fully attainable goal!
Thank you for not just joining the movement but being the movement— and we look forward to the journey together so one day, we too may look back on this moment and remember we were there!
Sincerely,
Reverend Reginald Lee Bachus