Solidarity and Call to Action
CW: police brutality, anti-Black violence and racism, environmental injustice
Hello,
We honor the memories of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery as well as all the other Black lives that have been unjustly taken. We also send love and strength to their communities and the broader Black community during this time.
Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO) stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, condemns anti-Black violence, and demands justice. As an umbrella organization for the sustainability community, we cannot advocate for sustainability and climate justice without speaking out against racial injustices. Environmental and climate injustices have always been inextricably linked with racial injustice.
Anti-Black violence by institutions like the police are part of the history of ongoing anti-Black racism that persists in this country. Environmentalism also has a history of racialized violence. Early environmentalists were predominantly wealthy, white people that sought to maintain “pristine” environments for their recreational pleasure. Their efforts continually displaced Indigenous Americans from their land and exploited the labor of Black people.
ECO has a responsibility to confront this history. As a community that cares about people and the environment, we cannot ignore the intersections of environmentalism, sustainability, and racial justice. The environmental justice movement is undeniably rooted in Black history. We thank and honor the Black leaders who have built and propelled the environmental justice movement to where it is today.
Environmental racism and the climate crisis disproportionately affect Black communities and make them more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental injustice is only one example of the ongoing racial injustice present in this country. Police brutality is another. While both are threats to Black livelihood, police brutality is an immediate threat that we must address urgently. We cannot be neutral. We must support and center the Black Lives Matter movement.
Finally, we must also recognize that these should not be one-time, reactionary actions. This is a lifelong commitment that we, as a community, must proactively dedicate ourselves to if we are serious about creating change. This comes with embracing discomfort and imperfection, and we must support and challenge each other to create change now and into the future.
We cannot be loud about environmental injustice, but silent about racial injustice.
This is a call to action.
Please refer to this website that includes a comprehensive list of petitions to sign, places you can donate, anti-racism resources and readings, and resources for protesters.
Environmental-specific resources can be found here.
In solidarity,
Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO)