[Read our Statement] We stand in solidarity with communities across the country condemning the murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all countless numbers of Black community members that have been murdered by police brutality and white, civilian vigilantes.
CBE Statement of Solidarity
Communities for a Better Environment stands in solidarity with communities across the country condemning the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tony McDade in Tallahassee, Florida, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and all of the other, countless numbers of Black community members that have been murdered by police brutality and white, civilian vigilantes. These killings are rooted in the structural racism that is built into every level of our society.
Anti-Black racism permeates every corner of our global society. We enter this conversation against the backdrop of a global pandemic, and we know that COVID-19 is taking Black lives at an alarming rate that is disproportionate to any other community. Black folks are also disproportionately impacted by environmental racism and have been at the frontlines of the worst impacts of climate change. Like climate change and COVID-19, state-sanctioned violence against Black folks is a public health crisis. We must be as active in dismantling structural racism as we are in fighting for environmental and climate justice. The liberation of Black people is vital to the collective liberation of all oppressed peoples.
We are calling on the CBE Community to be anti-racist allies and actively support the Movement for Black Lives to defund the police and defend Black life. Solidarity with Black Lives and Black led movements means calling out white supremacy and anti-Blackness, including from non-Black people of color and educating the people around you about the importance of this moment and the violent history of the United States in relation to anti-Black racism that has made this country to be what it is today. This means having difficult, but necessary, conversations with our families, peers and neighbors. This also includes intentionally and regularly buying from and investing in Black-owned businesses and supporting Black families and community members with financial support and other relevant offerings. The lack of meaningful investment in Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities continues to marginalize a large segment of the American public and left them vulnerable to every harm in our society. It is up to us to show up for Black folks, follow and trust in their leadership and stand against white supremacy and the systems in place that have continually shown us that they do not value Black lives. All Black Lives Matter.
As an environmental justice organization, we are committed to understanding our own participation and complicity with anti-Blackness, especially from non-Black people of color. Internally, CBE is holding space to establish a shared baseline understanding of racism and anti-Blackness- what they are, how they operate in the world, and how they manifest within the organization; develop common language for talking about racism and other forms of structural oppression; learning about tools and strategies to address racism and anti-Blackness within the staff, organization and our membership; and learn about the concepts of feminine leadership and trauma-informed practice, and understand how these frameworks support all staff members to heal from racism and cis-hetero-patriarchy.
In Solidarity and Community,
Communities for a Better Environment