Hey John,

By now, you already know that for the duration of this pandemic it is very important to practice social distancing and stay home.

We get it, staying safe and healthy in quarantine can get boring sometimes. After binge-watching all the Netflix shows and eating all your quarantine snacks, what else can you do?

Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, fighting for climate justice is more important than ever. We need your help, John, not only to keep yourself and others safe and healthy but also to continue our fight as we did before. To amplify this message, we are expanding our Getting to the Roots Campaign to include a weekly digital series highlighting key issues of climate justice.

Each week we will focus on a different theme that is a root cause of the climate crisis as well as ways to solve it. We will be hosting digital leadership trainings, Getting to the Roots webinars, virtual open-mics on Instagram and Twitter, art competitions, podcast releases and more! 

This week we will be Getting to the Roots of Racism and how it has led to the climate crisis. Factors of race and class can lead to the issue of environmental racism, or the disproportionate exposure of minorities to polluted air, water, soil, or other climate issues. According to the EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment, minorities are more likely to live near polluters and be negatively affected by air pollution. Many hold environmental racism responsible for increased poverty and adverse health effects, as it can lead many minorities to live in industrialized and dilapidated environments. Environmental racism has been seen in many areas of the country over the last few decades, including Flint, Michigan; Warren County, North Carolina; and Dickson County, Tennessee. Any conversation regarding the climate crisis must include this discussion of environmental racism. Make sure to tell your friends and family to tune in, follow @thisiszerohour on all platforms and look out for emails for updates!