In a show of solidarity, LGBT organizations across the country are standing with the family of Michael Brown, the African-American teenager who was fatally shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. As GLAAD reports, “Brown was unarmed, and witnesses say his hands were in the air when he was shot multiple times.”

Tuesday’s letter states that we are “failing as a nation” when “communities experience fear, harassment and brutality simply because of who they are or how they look.” Referencing both the diversity of the LGBT community and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the letter makes clear that our work is not finished until the “promise of liberty and justice” is fulfilled for all.

Believe Out Loud joins the growing list of supporting organizations to affirm that all lives are sacred, and all deserve equal protection under the law. We call upon our Christian faith tradition to affirm the belovedness of all humanity, and we pledge to work together to address the prejudices that cause violence and harm against both individuals and communities. Believe Out Loud remains committed to building a conversation that both honors and reflects the diversity of our human experiences across our online networks.

Read the entire letter below:

When communities experience fear, harassment and brutality simply because of who they are or how they look, we are failing as a nation. In light of the recent events in Missouri, it is clearer than ever that there is something profoundly wrong in our country.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community cannot be silent at this moment, because LGBT people come from all races, creeds, faiths and backgrounds, and because all movements of equality are deeply connected. We are all part of the fabric of this nation and the promise of liberty and justice for all is yet to be fulfilled.

The LGBT community stands with the family of Michael Brown, who was gunned down in Ferguson, Missouri. We stand with the mothers and fathers of young Black men and women who fear for the safety of their children each time they leave their homes. We call on the national and local media to be responsible and steadfast in their coverage of this story and others like it–racialized killings that have marred this nation since the beginning of its history. We call on policy makers on all levels of American government not to shrink from action, and we are deeply grateful to Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice for their immediate commitment to a thorough investigation.

At this moment, we are inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies … but the silence of our friends.”

Originally signed by 16 groups, the growing list of signatories now includes more than 58 LGBT organizations across the country.

Photo of Michael Brown shared through Facebook