Climate Resolve stands with the Black Lives Matter movement in its effort to confront systemic racism and police brutality. While the ongoing conflicts in Los Angeles and around the country weigh heavy on our hearts, we are committed to being a part of the change needed. The senseless murder of black individuals like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery must come to an end. Our country must confront its history of racism and racial inequality.
Racism bleeds into all corners of our societal fabric, including climate change. It is no surprise then that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) feel the effects of climate change disproportionately. BIPOC communities experience heat waves more acutely. LA’s low-income communities have fewer trees, fewer parks, and fewer air conditioners. Many live closer to freeways and factories, leading to higher incidences of asthma and other respiratory diseases—which may play a large role in why the COVID-19 epidemic has taken such a large toll on BIPOC communities. Climate Resolve focuses our climate work on BIPOC communities precisely because they are on the front lines of the crisis.
We acknowledge the pain, anger, frustration, and confusion you may be experiencing, while we also acknowledge the transformative aspects of this journey: namely, empathy and our undeniable interconnectedness. In the midst of the chaos and competing narratives, there is a simple truth we know for certain, as the poet Emma Lazarus wrote, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., echoed: until we are all free, we are none of us free.
This letter is jointly written by the Climate Resolve staff. Some of us have participated in the protests. Others have helped cleanup broken glass. Others have sent donations. There are many ways to contribute.
We ask you to consider the following opportunities to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Please find a list of resources compiled by Climate Resolve staff below:
Organizations
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles
JusticeLA
Reform LA Jails
Dignity and Power Now
Campaign Zero
Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere-Los Angeles (AWARE-LA)
Voting While Black
Literature
Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Film and Video
13th – Ava DuVernay (available on Netflix)
The Domino Effect – Trevor Noah
Where To Donate
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles
Voting While Black
LA’s Black-Owned Restaurants
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Black Visions Collective (Minneapolis)
Reclaim the Block (Minneapolis)
Dream Defenders (Florida)
Louisville Community Bail Fund (Louisville)
–The Climate Resolve Team
