As leaders of the U.S. environmental movement, we are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, white, black, Latino, Asian, Native American, of many creeds, faiths and religions. We come from diverse backgrounds and near infinite preferences and beliefs. But above all, we are concerned individuals and concerned members of the human race.
For these reasons, we join our voices with millions across the United States and around the world who are speaking out against the intolerance we are witnessing because we believe in justice for all and equal protection under the law. We will advocate to protect our rights to clean air and water, to dwell in a livable climate and to exercise our freedom of religion and cultural beliefs. We are united in guarding our natural spaces, and preserving the diverse and abundant life that shares our world.
We stand in solidarity with national and global movements for civil rights and social justice, to end structural racism and to empower women, people of color, immigrants, indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQi people as fully equal and fully safe members of our society. We will champion efforts to foster an inclusive economy that is both just and sustainable.
The environmental movement is, at its heart, about protecting the home we all share, not just for ourselves but for the generations to come. There is a place for everyone in that home. But there is not a place for hate. We have witnessed with alarm the rapid, abhorrent and dangerous rise in racist and violent acts in communities across the nation in the wake of the election, and we condemn the language and actions during and since the election that have fostered or encouraged those acts.
We will oppose hatred and abuses of civil and human rights because they are incompatible with a just and sustainable future. Creating that future requires inclusion and equality - and the unequivocal defense of both.
We call on our allies that have not yet done so to join us in solidarity with frontline communities, beginning with making a public statement and pledging to support building an inclusive future for all communities.
And we call on President-elect Trump to put out a statement that is inclusive of all people, expresses respect and understanding for the fears many Americans are now feeling, and upholds the unique and grave responsibility of the Presidency to protect all Americans equally. In doing so, we demand that all his nominees and appointees honor fundamental civil rights and embody civility befitting the offices for which they have been selected. Therefore, we call on the President-elect to rescind the appointment of Steven Bannon as Chief Strategic Advisor and withdraw the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General to signify his move to represent all equally and protect the rights of all people.
Protection of our planet is an absolute necessity for the survival and health of the human race and other species. And a strong commitment to human rights for all is a fundamental building block to the protection of our planet.
Michael Brune
Executive Director Sierra Club
Keya Chatterjee
Executive Director
US Climate Action Network
Allison Chin
Board Member
Sierra Club and Women's Voices for the Earth
Green Leadership Trust, Co-Chair
Jamie Rappaport Clark
President Defenders of Wildlife
Tony DeFalco
Board Member
Earthjustice
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley
Board Member
National Wildlife Federation and Center for International Environmental Law
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
Dr. Michael K. Dorsey
Director
National Sierra Club Board
Michel Gelobter
Board Member
Ceres and CalCEF
Carmen G. Gonzalez
Board Member
Earthjustice
Reginald "Flip" Hagood
Governing Council Member
The Wilderness Society
Green Leadership Trust, Co-Chair
David Hahn-Baker
Clean Water Fund
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
Jamie Hoyte
Board Member and Treasurer
Union of Concerned Scientists
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
John E Huerta
Board Member Emeritus
National Parks Conservation Association
Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation Voters
Ken Kimmell
President
Union of Concerned Scientists
Annie Leonard
Executive Director
Greenpeace US
Mark Magaña
Board Member
League of Conservation Voters
Green Leadership Trust Co-Chair
Aaron Mair
Board Chair, Sierra Club
Board Member, Arbor Hill Environmental Justice
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
Juan D. Martinez
Board Member
The Wilderness Society
Anuja Mendiratta
Emeritus Board Member
Women’s Voices for the Earth
Carroll Muffett
President
Center for International Environmental Law
Brian O'Donnell
Executive Director
Conservation Lands Foundation
Angela Park
Angela Park Consulting
Audrey Peterman
Board Member
National Parks Conservation Association
Erich Pica
President
Friends of the Earth US
Adrianna Quintero
Board Member
US Climate Action Network
Lauret Savoy
National Parks Conservation Association
John Seager
President
Population Connection
Patrice L. Simms
Howard University School of Law
Earthjustice
Tamara Toles O'Laughlin
Board Member, Women's Voices for the Earth
Vice President, DC Ecowomen
Green Leadership Trust Steering Committee
Catherine Thomasson, M.D.
Executive Director
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Vien Truong
Director
Green for All
Trip Van Noppen
President
Earthjustice
Robert Wendelgass
President
Clean Water Action
Guy O. Williams
Board Member
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Jamie Williams
President
The Wilderness Society
Author: The Wilderness Society & Other Groups
Photo credit: Hallie Smith
Source: The Wilderness Society