350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Thanks so much to all of you who made yesterday’s call that was organized by the Movement for Black Lives and co-hosted by climate & environmental justice groups. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the call due to a prior commitment; however, I wanted to make sure and share this great report back from our friend, Roberta. (Thanks Roberta for allowing me to re-share this here!)

The main organizers are unlikely to share the recording for security reasons, so if you have any specific questions that the notes don’t cover, email me directly.There is no climate justice without racial justice. We cannot demand a just recovery from the pandemic or climate change without addressing the systemic violence and extraction towards Black communities. If we are serious about transforming the current finance system into a just system that no longer fuels the destruction of our planet, we must learn to be more intersectional in the work that we do and commit to dismantle the systems of white supremacy that ultimately lie at roots of what we are fighting against. I encourage you to read the following piece by Tamara Toles O’Lauglin and this blog post by Hop Hopkins for deeper dives into the intersections.

On the call, the M4BL had three main asks of the climate and environmental community:

1. Elevate and amplify the SIX NINETEEN mobilization this weekend in honor of Juneteenth in your social media and other networks
2. Support actions in your communities that are black-led or accountable to black leadership (actions map can be found here)
3. Donate in support of the mobilization

Furthermore,

• As you take to the streets or support the mobilization remotely, please follow these principles
• Stay on message! Especially if you are part of a white-led progressive community organization, please challenge yourself to follow black leadership and do not undercut the 3 demands of the action
  • Defund the Police
  • Invest in Black Communities
  • Call for the Resignation of Donal Trump
    • More on messaging and talking points can be found here
• If you are showing up to the various actions in person, check out the Covid 19 Action Protocols

In Solidarity,
Roberta

~~~

Movement for Black Lives: Important Links and Resources

• Movement for Black Lives policy platform and list of current demands

• Movement for Black Lives – donation link

• Defending Black Lives – pledge to take action (this is a useful way to stay in the loop with Movement for Black Lives)

• 350.org: webinar – What we must do to dismantle white supremacy (great webinar with a number of Black climate justice organizers from 350.org and MN350 and Oluchi Omeoga from the Black Visions Collective and Lumumba Bandele, the partnerships director for the Movement for Black Lives)

• Racial Justice & Climate Justice – Arts Toolkit from David Solnit at 350

• FAQ: Building a Police-Free Future from the Black Visions Collective

• Organizing and study guide to Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow (this is a great resource for anyone interested in organizing a study group)

• Talking points on Black Lives Matter and Stop the Money Pipeline (this has not yet been updated specifically for the Juneteenth mobilization yet)

• Greenpeace: Take action to defend Black Lives toolkit