Dear Friend,

Last week, after globally historic heatwaves, California and Oregon forest fires burned so big they reached even *New England* with a toxic haze. I'm sure the fires and smoke remind you, as they do for me, of the cataclysmic fires in Australia last year.

We are seeing more and more severe climate devastation worldwide, whether incredible forest fires, hurricanes, or flooding. Both you and I know disasters like these disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, rural, and working-class communities around the world. *And both of us are committed to doing something about it - over the long haul.*

As a supporter of Grassroots International, you have a profound commitment to the defense of land, natural resources, and human rights. *Did you know you can take the next step [ [link removed] ], both to protect what you have now and to resource grassroots movements well into the future?*

From Puerto Rico to Brazil to Nigeria, grassroots movements are fiercely defending lands, access to water, and food sovereignty. Your solidarity through Grassroots International accompanies Brazilian landless workers of the MST as they fight climate change through sustainable agriculture and Nigerian women of Kebetkache as they resist polluting oil companies, among other struggles in the world.

To make long-term solidarity easier, Grassroots has partnered with FreeWill for August's National Make-A-Will Month. FreeWill has made it incredibly easy (and free) to make a will, and no matter your age, class, background, or circumstances, it can be an act of solidarity. *I invite you to join the dozens of others who are protecting what they have now and keeping up the fight after they're gone [ [link removed] ] - through one simple, powerful action.*

Making a will through FreeWill can serve economic, social, and land justice movements for years to come by creating a legacy gift to Grassroots International. Furthermore, as we celebrate Black August and Black Philanthropy Month, we see this tool as a form of economic justice for Black and Indigenous people, especially women, who are left out of the conversation about wealth transfer and intergenerational wealth.

*Join me in supporting grassroots movements and a safe planet for the future - by leveraging your legacy through Grassroots International and FreeWill. *

In solidarity and gratitude,

Chung-Wha Hong
Executive Director