There is No Environmental Justice Without Racial Justice
Written by: Shanley Mitchell
Edited by: Lauren Barnum
There is no environmental justice without racial justice. The systems of power and privilege that destroy the environment also deprive Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) of their humanity – and too often, their lives. Since Jan. 1, 2015, 1,252 Black individuals have been shot and killed by the police. We are outraged by the racist murders of, Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, Michelle Cusseaux, Tanisha Anderson, Tamir Rice, Natasha McKenna, Walter Scott, Bettie Jones, Philando Castile, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Eric Reason, Dominique Clayton, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others.
Here at the Tuolumne River Trust we stand in solidarity with Black and BIPOC people everywhere. All too often racial justice is left out of environmental action. It is no secret that communities of color are disproportionately affected by every climate crisis. Fighting for a healthy Tuolumne River is not only necessary for the health of our environment, but it is necessary for the survival of our communities who depend on the Tuolumne for clean drinking water, growing food, and safe spaces for recreation.
Because of violent and racist acts, our friends of color often do not feel safe recreating outdoors. In fact, Ahmaud Arbery was outdoors doing what he loved, running when he was murdered by three white men simply because of the color of his skin. Enough is Enough. Safe access to the outdoors as a refuge for recreation and play should not be determined by race. Sheltering in place comes with its own set of challenges, and no one, under any circumstance, should feel unsafe to leave their house for a few hours of nature and fresh air.
Our environment can’t survive without biodiversity, in the same way that we can’t survive or thrive without racial diversity. Our mission at TRT is to protect and restore the Tuolumne River and its watershed for present and future generations. We want the communities who benefit from the Tuolumne’s clean drinking water and world-class recreation to reflect the beautiful diversity that makes up our country. This is one reason why racial equity and decreasing social and economic barriers to river access is important to us.
We will hold ourselves accountable as we dedicate resources toward a more intersectional approach to our work. To us, accountability means having the difficult but necessary conversations about white privilege as a majority-white team, uplifting stories told by people and communities of color, dedicating more time and financial resources to our programs for underserved communities, educating ourselves about systemic racism, continuing equitable hiring practices, and diversifying our team. Standing in solidarity is not just the right thing to do, it is our responsibility. We will hold ourselves accountable for our shortcomings and put in the work to help create more just and inclusive movement.
EDIT: In honor of transparency and growth, we would like to make an edit to the sentence: “In fact, Ahmaud Arbery was outdoors doing what he loved, running when he was murdered by three white men simply because of the color of his skin.” We recognize that systemic racism runs deep in our country. The wrongful murder of Black people is due to insidious systems of oppression and white supremacy that hold power over this country and us as people. It is not “simply because” of the color of someone’s skin. Simplifying this is equivalent to erasing the deep systemic racism that we must collectively face head-on. We are sorry for our oversight and derivative language. We are committed to learning alongside you, and that means admitting when we make a mistake.
