A Message from Earthrise on the murder of George Floyd, and dismantling racism and white supremacy.

We at Earthrise are outraged over the murder of George Floyd—another Black person killed at the hands of police officers—as well as the deaths of Breonna Taylor and countless others whose names we do and do not know. We must speak out on behalf of victims of racism and marginalization. We stand with protestors demanding an immediate end to racist policing.

But our culture of white supremacy is not contained to police actions. We see that culture when white vigilantes chase and murder Ahmaud Arbery. We see racism lead to harassment when people of color attempt to enjoy outdoor and natural spaces, as happened to Christian Cooper in New York. We see it when Native lands are stolen, desecrated, and destroyed.

At Earthrise we work to protect the environment and outdoor spaces, and we recognize that systemic racism makes outdoor recreation potentially dangerous for Black people. We must work to ensure that the benefits of conservation are realized by people of color. We also know all too well that communities of color are more likely to suffer from the effects of pollution and other environmental hazards. We understand that the fight for environmental justice includes first ensuring that all communities have equal access to justice.

Social justice is critical to environmental justice. We are working to examine ourselves and our practices to make sure that we are an inclusive organization. Moving forward, we will take concrete steps to make our organization more diverse and more antiracist.

We understand that as a law clinic we have an obligation to commit ourselves to justice, and at this time in our nation’s history we must commit ourselves even more to racial and social justice. We must do our part to dismantle racism in all of its forms.