John,

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, people across the country have been peacefully protesting and lifting their voices against systemic racism and institutionalized murder.

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery are just the most recent examples of what Black communities have experienced for centuries because of institutionalized inequality, oppression and violence.

We must work in solidarity to bring about fundamental change. At Food & Water Action, we fight for justice for all, human dignity and economic fairness. But to do that we need to create a safe, just and equitable future, and we must stand up and fight for the dignity of Black people now.

We stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives' demands and the Week of Action against racism and state-sponsored violence. We ask all our supporters to learn more about how to help. It's our responsibility to stand with our allies for racial and environmental justice.

The effects of climate change — increased pollution, rising sea tides and storms — and proximity to toxic industrial facilities in their neighborhoods are magnified in communities of color; the government has allowed corporations to pollute with impunity because they think no one cares.

Now, longstanding racial inequities are allowing COVID-19 to sicken and kill Black people in wildly disproportionate numbers; and the pandemic’s devastating economic impact has been felt most strongly in communities of color. We need systemic change now.

It will take all of us working together to transform the fundamentally corrupt and unjust system. Our fight for clean water, safe food and a livable climate moves us toward that end. But more than that, we work with people across the country to help them organize to reclaim power. We fight for the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of people to speak, assemble and petition their government to redress grievances.

Organizing, mobilizing, reclaiming power — these are the tools we use to fight not only climate change but institutionalized inequality, oppression and violence. This is what those who helped build and maintain a racist and inequitable system fear most. We will not be silenced.

In solidarity and gratitude,

Wenonah


Wenonah Hauter
Founder and Executive Director
Food & Water Action and Food & Water Watch