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The sites at Interactive One have come together to say nothing will distract us from supporting the movement against anti-Black racism and police abuse.

At Interactive One (Hello Beautiful, NewsOne, Global Grind, The Urban Daily and BlackPlanet) we champion diversity and commonly say, “Culture starts here.” But the news of the day is damning. What is the value of diversity when we live in an insanely, divided world? What is the point of celebrating culture if the very culture makers can’t make it home alive?

When bias and racism choke fairness and promote fear, all too often, we see Black people end up dead, with no one held accountable. As a media company reaching millions of people daily, we want to publicly recognize that, for us, “Black Lives Matter” is more than a slogan, it is an absolute truth.

Black Lives Matter needs no qualification. To matter is simply to count. And the liberation of humanity is directly tied to us all believing that Black lives count. The growing movement to protect and lift up Black lives is vital, and the moment for all people who support human rights to unite together around this issue is now—when others would try to distract us from progress with more violence.

We do not condone violence against police. We are not anti-police. We are anti police misconduct, abuse and excessive force. Humanity cannot afford one more death at the hands of those charged to protect and serve…not one more.

Without question, we also mourn the dead and stand with those in Orlando, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Baghdad, Nice and everywhere else where terror and hate rears its ugly head. These tragedies are not lost on us. Our hearts are heavy.

Yet the fight for Black lives cannot be ignored nor made invisible because of other human injustices.  One fight for humanity cannot cancel out another. We don’t want to see any repeats of the tragedies we’ve seen play out in places like Baltimore, New York, Cleveland, and St. Anthony.

On our sites, Black will never be an afterthought, a negative, or a burden. At iOne, Black is culture and culture starts here.

24 Photos Of Resistance

Protests Continue In Baton Rouge After Police Shooting Death Of Alton Sterling

Source: Mark Wallheiser / Getty