Screenshot of hosts and guests - Rosa Hance, Teresa Ball, Shruti Bhatnagar, Del. Robbyn Lewis, Del. Brooke Lierman, Josh Tulkin, Ramon Cruz, and Michael Brune
While on a Zoom call several months ago, ExCom Member Teresa Ball suggested the idea of a birthday party for Sierra Club. Though this had not been done before in Maryland, several fellow members loved the idea. Who doesn't enjoy a birthday party? Amidst escalating tragedies though, related to the coronavirus and racial injustice, the idea started to seem less appropriate. Fortunately, in the end, the volunteer leader-led event came to pass, with a stronger focus on current events and learning. The result was a very special virtual gathering, filled with meaningful, reflective, and inspiring moments.
Invited guests Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, new Sierra Club Board President Ramon Cruz, and Maryland State Delegates Robbyn Lewis and Brooke Lierman shared anecdotes, insights, and appreciation for the dedication of Sierra Club volunteers, staff, and partners. Maryland Chapter Director Josh Tulkin and Chapter Chair Rosa Hance, Chapter Executive Committee Member Teresa Ball, and Montgomery County Sierra Club Chair Shruti Bhatnagar also spoke about the needs of the time and the urgency of advocacy for racial and social justice.
The program began and ended with music ("If You Want a Song" by Okee Dokee Brothers and "Wild and Precious" by Maryland singer This Is Lea). An original dance by Rachel Martin Jones and seven videos by members, all prepared specifically for the event, rounded out the evening.
The spirit was warm and forward looking while still reflecting the gravity of the times and the overarching need to fight against racial injustice and be actively anit-racist. It was an uplifting exchange of individuals, chapter, and national organization reaffirming their commitment to learn, grown, and take action for change, environmental protection, and racial justice.
Screenshots from videos shown during the event - Greg McKnight, Mollie Rudow, Na'ilah Dawkins, Pat Soffen, Ashley Cobaugh, Bonnie Kelnberger, singer Lea Morris, and dancer Rachel Martin Jones
Executive Committee Member Teresa Ball welcomed attendees on Zoom and Facebook and kicked off the event stressing that, "Environmental issue advoacy is not only conservation and environmental protection and environmental stewardship. It's not just economics. It's not even just simply matters of public health. Environmental issues really are social justice issues. They are issues of human and civil rights."
Rosa Hance, Chapter Chair of Maryland Sierra Club, noted,
Whether you've been in the club for 28 years or 28 minutes, there's always a place for you to have your unique talents be part of something bigger than yourself. ... I tell this story to share how ... a dedicated bunch of ordinary people can work together to achieve amazing things. Five months later we banned fracking in Maryland. Not by some miracle but by working together and organizing. ... There is so much more to do, but to be a part of this story and others like it is an honor. And I hope that you're inspired by what you hear tonight to be a part of our movement or to invest more deeply in our movement and help us grow and evolve as an organization.
Amid the global pandemic and protests against racial injustice in America, Michael Brune spoke of the importance of fighting racism in society, organizations, communities, and in ourselves. He also shifted gears and pointed to Maryland's many successes around fracking, coal power pollution, and clean energy, how individuals and groups of volunteers are making a difference. He praised how Maryland develops and empowers its volunteers and emphasized the "joy in finding our own voice as citizens" that Sierra Club facilitates.
Sierra Club Board President Ramon Cruz, of Puerto Rico and now in New York, pointed to his recent election as board president as a sign of positive change in Sierra Club.
Delegate Robbyn Lewis shared a memory from her childhood to make a poignant point about the power of groups. At age 7, she attended her first protest with her parents against the construction of a nuclear power plant. "I will never forget that feeling of being part of a big group of people marching together for a cause, standing together in the face of an injustice, a danger, and not being afraid because we were so many." Last week she joined two peaceful marches in Baltimore City, in her own community in solidarity with diverse neighbors, chanting ‘Black Lives Matter,’ chanting ‘No justice, no peace,’ and chanting the names of the fallen, the African American victims of police violence.
I felt like I did all those years ago. Part of something bigger than myself, part of a movement that connects not just people to each other but connecting people to the earth. It reminded me of a saying, and I'll leave you with this: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." I think that's a great slogan to keep in mind when you think of Sierra Club. especially as the organization makes intentional, heartfelt, genuine, and active commitment to diversifying its leadership, ... diversifying its membership, and speaking with a voice of solidarity with oppressed peoples. There are so many African Americans, Latinx peoples, Native peoples who put their lives on the line to protect this planet because we care. I am so happy to be a part of the Sierra Club family as it makes that amazing transition.
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Screenshot of Delegate Robbyn Lewis sharing her views and appreciation for Sierra Club
Delegate Brooke Lierman of Baltimore, a fellow champion for the environment and justice in the state legislature, called Sierra Club one of the most effective groups in Maryland and said she could not do what she does without its members.
Chapter Director Josh Tulkin expressed pride to work with and for Sierra Club, particularly in its commitment to grow and evolve and how wrestling with its history and current challenges is making it a better organization. He also, with special permission, made a surprise announcement that Chapter Chair Rosa Hance had been selected to receive a prestigious national leadership award.
Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair of Montgomery County Sierra Club, recalled words of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., before stating:
Whatever affects one directly affects all of us indirectly, and that is why I believe that we must all come together and stand in solidarity with renewed commitment and vigilance. We must be deliberate in our actions to fight injustice. We cannot achieve environmental justice without racial justice or realize health equity without dismantling racism. To end racism and change the future for a better tomorrow, for our children, for our next generation, we must work together and hold ourselves responsible for calling out injustice wherever and whenever we see it.
I am proud that Sierra Club stands united with organizations like NAACP, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and SEIU to fight for the structural changes ... Sierra Club's strength is its membership, and we can mobilize all our members who always come through for us to support the work that we are doing in fighting for climate justice. So please consider becoming a member or contributing your efforts in any way you can so that we can make a change for a just planet.
Near the end, Maryland's Executive Committee Chair, Rosa Hance, the youngest and youngest female Sierra Club Chapter Chair in Maryland history, encouraged attendees to become members of not just Sierra Club but also their local NAACP branch. "We work together, we support each other, and please continue supporting and standing in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and numerous wonderful civil rights organizations. We're all in this together."
Watch or rewatch Marking 128 Years of Sierra Club!