Friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and everyone who has been affected by our nation’s history of racial injustice,
We cannot even come close to comprehending what you are going through and the intensity and depth of emotions that you are experiencing. We see you, we hear you, we stand with you, and we are at your service.
The white nationalism and racism, the covert and barefaced hate and violence, and the blatant injustices that have been perpetrated across this country for generations are horrifying and wrong. We condemn the reality that leads so many of our Black and Brown neighbors and friends to go through this terror every day. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, and so many of our fellow human beings who were killed in cold blood are people who bore the brunt of this ugly system. We say their names and we affirm that #BlackLivesMatter cannot just be a slogan if we have any hope of this terror not repeating.
Recognizing that white silence allows for a culture of white supremacy to continue, and understanding that the history of our nation’s environmental movement is one that excluded—and continues to exclude—a large swath of America, we are determined to do our part in ending this vicious cycle.
We are not so naive as to think that a single statement, or a single protest, can overnight transform an entire culture built on exclusion and racism, but neither can we stand by and let another innocent life be extinguished as a result of this culture. We are committing to digging deep, doing the work, showing up, and being and doing everything within our influence to eradicate racism and hate in all of its ugly forms.
We are grieving with you, we are protesting with you, and we are demanding justice together!