Illustration Credit: Shirien – @shirien.creates.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
We have had a collective reckoning this week that has shaken our organization and community to the core. Just blocks from our office, George Floyd, a Black man whose life was precious, was murdered by former Minneapolis police officers on Monday, May 25th. We’ve watched our community — where we eat, buy office supplies, and engage with partners — burn with righteous anger. We have heard the voices of beloved colleagues express their daily fear of being in their own skin.
To our Black neighbors near and far: we see you. We love you. We honor your rage, your pain, your grief, your numbness, whatever feelings may be with you right now.
And particularly for the white people among us, it matters that we embrace our discomfort about race, leave our guilt at the door, and actively participate in changing this. There is much work to do; physical and emotional healing and rebuilding needed throughout our state and country to dismantle systemic racism that is pervasive in so many of our institutions. We have failed our Black and brown partners, colleagues, and fellow members of the human race. We must do better. We commit to doing better.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham writes:
#GeorgeFloyd should be alive. That is justice. Everything else is accountability. And his family deserve at least that.
You want to give us justice? Stop the police from killing people. Permanently. And become the kind of anti-racist neighbors who make this world safe for us. pic.twitter.com/PQS2MLdiCF
— THIQUE CHURCH GIRL. (@MsPackyetti) May 27, 2020
We hear this call. We pledge to be allies to you, to be in community with you and to tirelessly advocate for meaningful change.
It matters that the police officers involved have real accountability. It matters that we as a community make it clear we will not tolerate this violence anymore. It matters that we each take a firm stance on this, that we not stay silent.
We must do more than writing statements. To begin, as an organization that believes in the power of sharing stories to make change in the world, we recommit to leverage our platforms to raise up the voices of Black community members. Black people have suffered, exponentially and consistently, due to our country’s white supremacist roots and we commit to highlighting their disproportionate struggle for justice in our programming. We will highlight Black experiences in all crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic to policing to climate change — when we engage with youth, community members, and educators in an effort to fully integrate Black voices in solutions. As staff, we are also taking action to support the demands of the movements for Black liberation. We ask you to join us in action.
Our mission is dedicated to building a world of resilient communities with equitable solutions to climate change. This means a world where we have clean air to breathe and Black people are safe and have equity in all natural resources.
In solidarity,
The Climate Generation team
We are calling you to join us in action.
Participate in the Movement for Black Lives week of action. There are ways to participate from Twitter to the streets.
Donate to the George Floyd Memorial Fund started by his family to cover funeral and burial expenses, to pay for counselling, to cover accommodation and travel expenses during court proceedings and to provide assistance for the family.
Read how police violence and the climate crisis are inseparable.
Things White People Can Do:
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
Anti-Racism Resources for White People
Showing Up for Racial Justice in your organization:
WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE: Characteristics – SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Find the groups in your own community working for racial justice and donate generously.
Support our Twin Cities community:
For those of you wanting to help out and support our neighbors and partners, please consider making a financial donation to one of the following organizations:
Organizations and businesses impacted and organizing to keep people safe in the streets, defend Black, Indigenous and other targeted communities from the police and white supremacists, rebuild our city, feed people, offer healing support, build long-term infrastructure to keep us safe without the police, and so much more.
Northside Funders Group in partnership with West Broadway Business and Area Coalition – Make a donation to support Northside businesses that have been impacted by recent events.
We Love Lake Street – Make a donation to help rebuild Lake Street’s small businesses and community organizations.
Frogtown & Rondo Community Business Recovery Fund – Supports the damage recovery of impacted community-owned businesses in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods.
Little Earth Residents Association – Food and safety needs for residents of Little Earth of United Tribes.
Migizi Communications – Advances a message of success, well-being and justice for the American Indian community. Support them rebuilding after fire.
Black Visions Collective – Believes in a future where all Black people have autonomy, safety is community-led, and we are in right relationship within our ecosystems.
Sabathani Community Center – In the heart of South Minneapolis, a community center where people of all ages and cultures are able to live, learn, work and play in a healthy and safe environment.
For more organizations, City Pages Minneapolis has developed this great list.