The world is in a phase of great change as we confront interlocking issues of a global health pandemic, systemic racism, and the climate crisis
— accelerating our energy toward imagining, demanding, and building what is and can be possible. We hope in this time you are taking care of yourselves at every level of your being.
WECAN continues to center our work in the understanding that there is no climate justice without racial justice. As Hop Hopkins, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Sierra Club,
wrote last week:
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"You can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can't have disposable people without racism."
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Globally, Black and Indigenous communities, and other communities of color are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate chaos, rooted in the historic and continuing effects of colonialism, racism, and patriarchy. These same frontline communities bearing the worst impacts of climate change are also experiencing the worst of police violence.
As we push forward to uproot the causes of the climate crisis, it is also vital to lift up the leadership of Black, Indigenous and frontline women and femmes who are addressing interlocking systems of oppression, building community-led solutions, and defining and shaping a future founded on liberation, justice, and respect for Mother Earth. Jacqui Patterson, Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program,
says:
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"With a bone-deep understanding of layered injustices, BIPOC women are working towards a world built on regeneration, cooperation, interdependence, and deep democracy, while resisting the deceptive lure of privatization and other false solutions."
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WECAN stands in solidarity with women globally who are advocating for racial justice, workers' rights, gender equity, climate justice, Indigenous rights, and more. We are also mourning the loss of Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, Riah Milton, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, and other Black sisters whose lives have been taken in recent weeks by police brutality and gender-based violence.
To actualize climate justice there must be racial justice, and we are committed to the long-term work of dismantling white supremacy and building the world we know is possible.
Right now is a unique moment to collectively stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives, and to show up virtually or in person for Juneteenth, a day honoring Black freedom and Black resistance. We are honored and grateful to amplify this moment and the Black leaders calling on each and every one of us to take action for a better world. Please explore this newsletter for ways to participate and take action as outlined by the Movement for Black Lives.
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Juneteenth Actions - June 19-21
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Uprisings to defend Black lives are taking place in all 50 states (
and in cities globally
), and more than two-thirds of Americans agree that police violence is systemic. The Movement for Black Lives is alive and vibrant worldwide.
Join the Movement for Black Lives for the #SixNineteen mobilization on Juneteenth weekend, June 19–21, 2020. Take action in front of the White House, in your community, or at home globally. Here is how to get connected:
www.sixnineteen.com
We support the Movement for Black Lives in their three demands:
"After years of anti-Black violence and animosity for Black life, we demand the defunding of police and an investment in Black communities. We also call for the resignation of Donald Trump, who met our calls for justice with a brutal wave of repression that has added fuel to the fire of racism and systemic inequity.”
Read the full demands here.
Why Juneteenth?
On June 19, 1865, Black communities in Texas finally received the news that they were free from enslavement, two and a half years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth (June 19th) is a day that honors Black freedom and Black resistance, and centers Black people’s unique contribution to the struggle for justice in the U.S. This Juneteenth is a rare moment for our collective communities to proclaim in one voice, around the world, that Black Lives Matter.
A Note of Safety
We are still in a global health pandemic, and want to emphasize the importance of assessing the risks of protest based on your personal health and local community guidelines. The Movement for Black Lives has created a toolkit to support people in assessing risk and in public risk/harm reduction while protesting,
please find that toolkit here.
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The National Black Environmental Justice Network Relaunches to Address Growing Threats to Black Communities
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From the National Black Environmental Justice Network Press Release:
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on the Black community, the National Black Environmental Justice Network (NBEJN) has reignited its commitment to improving the lives of Black people and addressing the systemic racism that denies them equal access to environmental, climate, racial, and economic justice as well as health equity, political power, civil rights, and human rights.
“Although NBEJN members have been working together on individual projects, we have not had a formal convening since the sudden and devastating passing of our Executive Director Damu Smith in 2006,” explained Dr. Beverly Wright, executive director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network. “However, as we have seen the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our community and the continued assaults on our environment by the Trump administration, there has been a groundswell among members, a resurgence of energy and purpose, that has brought us back together to protect Black America and put an end to these injustices.”
The NBEJN was founded in 1999 to address the environmental racism faced by Black communities across the United States. At its first national gathering in December of that year, nearly 300 Black grassroots, environmental, and economic justice activists gathered in New Orleans – along with youth, labor, health, and religious organizations as well as attorneys, academics, and other professionals – to develop strategies to address environmental and health disparities in Black communities.
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The United Nations Human Rights Council
Holds Debate on Police Brutality
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Calls for ending police violence and dismantling white supremacy are echoing worldwide, from organizers in the streets to Ambassadors in the halls of the United Nations. In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is holding an urgent debate on racism and police brutality.
Proposed by a group of African countries led by Burkina Faso, the UNHRC met on Wednesday to discuss passing a possible resolution on police violence and heard from speakers including George Floyd's brother.
Please find a video of the discussion available here.
More results will be forthcoming from this deliberation.
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For the Earth and All Generations,
Women's Earth and Climate Action Network
(WECAN) International Team
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S T A Y C O N N E C T E D
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