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Dear John,

Do you know where your electricity comes from? Do you know whose land
your fuel crosses? Do you know who works in the power plant that
supplies your neighborhood?

Honestly, most people don't. I didn't either.

Our country's energy system is byzantine, the decision-making
non-transparent and undemocratic, the power brokers unknown to the
general public. The entire path of energy from extraction to delivery
relies on exploitation of the Earth's natural resources, of workers who
toil in the industry, and of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and
Pacific Islander, and other communities of color where power plants,
pipelines and substations are placed.

At Race Forward, we consider energy democracy

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a critical climate solutions strategy and a necessary component of the
racial justice movement. In a society with an economic model that
depends on the flow of energy, energy exploitation is a natural
byproduct of an economic crisis caused by the quest for increased
accumulation of capital and exploitation of people.

Support People and the Planet!

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To move racial equity forward in the energy sector, it is necessary to
divest power from those who have historically been decision-makers and
beneficiaries to communities of color, and to identify where there are
opportunities to advance racial justice in the narrative, strategies,
and climate solutions.

Access to energy or renewable energy should not be a privilege. It
should be a human right, controlled by our communities who depend on it.

On this Earth Day, I invite you to join us with the following actions
you can take right now:

Read our Energy Democracy Report

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, published in October 2020, highlighting local solutions

Share our research, recommendations, and solutions with your community
and networks

Watch our Energy Democracy Video

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, showcasing a convening of 36 leaders of energy democracy initiatives
across the U.S. to build their collective power

Reach out to your representatives to find out how they're fighting
against energy exploitation

support our work

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Energy democracy paints a vision where communities are planners and
decision-makers over how to use and how to generate energy that is local
and renewable. It moves away from dependence on investor-owned energy
companies, which have profited at the expense of their workers and the
environment, toward a future of community governance, worker rights, and
practices that replenish our Earth.

Join me

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in standing by our communities and the Earth to find a more just energy
system. Your support and passion for our work is important and
meaningful. Thank you.

In solidarity,

Leah Obias

Director of Policy & Strategy, Race Forward

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