The Delaware Chapter is committed to taking constant strides to improve its organizing efforts and the requirements it places on the staff and leadership regarding equity, racial justice, and inclusion. Starting January 1, 2020, the Delaware Chapter requires that all executive committee members and staff take interactive and engaging courses in Cultural Identities and Competency, Unconscious Bias, Microaggressions, and Inclusion. In order to work effectively in the areas of racial and environmental justice, two highly connected issues, we must ensure that we are being the best allies we can to those people and communities who are impacted by and have long been working to correct these injustice.
***Warning: Some of the content linked below could be triggering***
The Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, along with National, continues to strongly support the Black Lives Matter Movement. We encourage our members and supporters to stand behind the Black community in Delaware and across our nation in their fight for racial justice. Now is the time to be a true ally to the impacted communities in your area.
Environmental organizations across the country are supporting the Movement for Black Lives Week Of Action, including the Sierra Club, because we understand that the fight for environmental justice is inseparable from the fight for racial justice. The National Sierra Club put out a strong message, condemning the actions that lead to the death of George Floyd. Afterward, the Executive Director, Micheal Brune penned an op-ed in which he clearly stated, "we need people like you -- people who have joined our outings, who volunteer their time and money to protect their local wilderness -- to become anti-racist allies."
We hope you will join us as we look to support the BLM movement here in Delaware by joining a local action near you.
Additional Links:
Beyond Protesting: Resources to Build Momentum for Racial Justice (blog post by Beth Chajes with resource links to support the BLM Movement)
Racism is Killing the Planet (article by Sierra Club Staffer, Hop Hopkins published in Sierra Magazine)
Sierra Club Diversity Statement, Inclusion and Equity Statement (Board of Directors, April 2013)
The Sierra Club embraces, values and respects a variety of social and cultural characteristics including, but not limited to race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental/physical ability, religion, and age. In order for the Sierra Club to fulfill its mission and be a leader in the progressive movement, we commit to celebrating diversity, ensuring inclusion and working towards equity in all we do. We believe diversity, inclusion, and equity are essential to our mission because:
§ Diversity is a conservation necessity and social imperative that will enable the Club to remain a leader in the environmental movement.
§ Inclusion fosters the involvement of all persons and organizations that share our vision for a healthy planet.
§ Environmental equity ensures that everyone has the right to experience nature and access to clean water, clean air, clean soil, and a safe environment.
We acknowledge that in order to be a truly diverse and inclusive organization we will exercise commitment to these goals within issue advocacy, the way we do business and how we interact with one another and our external partners. In support of the mission of the Sierra Club, we strive to be accessible and inclusive, and to recruit, engage, support and cultivate leadership from all communities in our work and activities. Our vision is for our volunteers, leaders, members, staff, and supporters to reflect the diversity of our nation's communities. In an ongoing effort, we will build and integrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion into our conservation initiatives, program strategies, membership, workforce, structure, budget, business practices, communications and the overall culture of the Sierra Club.
National Statement on Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice is the link between the environment and social justice to resolve the disproportionate distribution of environmental risk (including negative health, social and economic effects) on communities. In 2014, the Sierra Club began transforming into a more equitable, just, and inclusive organization that includes members of minority groups - generally defined as people who are differentiated from the social majority based on ethnicity, race, religion, age, disability, gender, wealth, health, and/or sexual orientation.
Equity Resources
The National Sierra Club has these resources to provide guidance and leadership to volunteers and staff as they address equity, inclusion and justice issues associated with environmental issues: