Huxley College Solidarity Statement

 June 10, 2020 

On the eve of spring’s graduation, we find ourselves at a crossroad between an inequitable past and our future potential to remedy injustices. Huxley College of the Environment stands in solidarity with protestors around the world to demand an end to institutionalized anti-Black racism, racialized police violence, and the ongoing dehumanization of Black communities. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and will continue to support the worldwide movements for civil rights and social justice, to end structural racism and to empower People of Color, Women, Immigrants, Indigenous, Disabled, and LGBTQI people as fully equal and fully safe members of our society. 

We pledge to adopt real and tangible commitments for change, establish specific outcomes to be achieved, and hold ourselves accountable to them. We will accomplish this by educating ourselves and our students about the long history of environmental racism in the U.S.; amplifying the voices of the Black, Indigenous, Latinx, disabled, LGBTQI, women and others who have been marginalized or forgotten in the mainstream histories; being aware of our own privilege and bias; and identifying and removing oppressive policies and practices within our departments, college, and university. We commit to creating a learning community where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and appreciated for who they are. 

As environmental professionals, we will advocate to protect the rights of every human being to clean air and water, and to a livable climate. At the core of the environmental movement is the protection of the Earth we all share, for both present and future generations. A strong commitment to human rights for all is fundamental to our environmental protection work. We are united in guarding our natural environment and preserving the diversity of life on earth. We join in solidarity with frontline communities by pledging to support the building of a sustainable future. 

We condemn the abhorrent and dangerous rise in racist and violent acts in communities across the nation and condemn the language and actions that have fostered or encouraged those acts. Therefore, Huxley joins the call for dismantling the structural racism and oppression that endanger and devalue the lives and rights of People of Color across the world. Taking our lead from the communities most marginalized and targeted, we will work to confront and end that oppression, and transform the systems that enable it, as an essential step toward building a just and sustainable world. 

Everyone has a place on the Earth we call home. There is not a place for hate.