Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Why Working for Equity is Mission-Critical for CCAN
At CCAN, we understand that the climate crisis is a human issue. We acknowledge that climate change has many deep-rooted causes, spanning everything from white supremacy to colonialism to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of too few. This has led to the radically unfair reality that the people least responsible for changing our climate–from low-income communities in the U.S., to much of the Global South, to future generations–will be the first and/or the hardest hit by climate change.
We also acknowledge the history of the region in which we work. This land was once home to the Piscataway, Nanticoke, and Powhatan tribes, to name just a few. We occupy their homeland and their presence is imbued in this land, these rivers, islands, and coastal plains. Many of our staff are based in Richmond–the former capital of the Confederacy. Given the history of slavery in Richmond, across Virginia, and in Maryland, and DC, we feel a special obligation to put these inequities front and center in our work.
The structures that have perpetuated and exacerbated these economic, racial, and intergenerational injustices animate and motivate our work and must be transformed. Successfully curbing climate change will require a fundamental shift in people’s priorities, values, and relationships with each other and with the planet.
CCAN fights locally with and for the humans affected by climate change, especially those hit first and worst. We fight for the father in northern Virginia trying to stop the utility monopoly from dumping coal ash into his family’s water source; the descendants of slaves in Union Hill who are trying to protect the land they inherited from their grandparents from being polluted by a pipeline company; the nurse in Baltimore who has patients as young as two years old with asthma, and sees these rates increase as the planet warms; the low-income residents in the District and throughout our region to have access to clean, affordable solar energy for their homes; and for our own children who will inherit this crisis.
We fight for the future challenges we see coming, and those we can’t possibly predict. Climate change has been caused by unjust systems but climate change will also exacerbate many societal ills. As the crisis worsens, we will see an increase in the exploitation of labor as it gets harder to eke out a living; an increase in climate refugees forced to leave their home due to famine, drought, extreme weather, and sea-level rise; and an increase in war as resources get more scarce.
We believe that we will ultimately win by building the biggest and broadest coalition possible, resilient and connected communities, and never, ever, ever giving up. This ethos is reflected in our mission, which is to build a diverse movement powerful enough to put our region on the path to climate stability. To achieve this mission, we need a rebalancing of power. Power is now concentrated in too few people and these overly powerful few have led us towards catastrophe. Many of our most powerful politicians are ignoring the compelling climate science that should be driving their policies in favor of the billionaire companies who are funding their re-election campaigns.
Our climate movement must be broad and big enough to overcome the chronic opposition of these powerful few. It must tackle head-on the systemic racism and injustices that have led us to this point if we are to hope for lasting change. Only by including all voices in the movement will we build up enough political power to overcome the entrenched and powerful interests to preserve a planet on which human beings can live and thrive.
CCAN commits to continually improving our approach, skills, organization, and campaigns to ensure our region meets that vision. We will do this by:
- Ensuring that CCAN-supported campaigns prioritize the leadership and concerns of our region’s frontline communities, recognizing that the same systemic injustices that have led to the climate crisis have also created social and economic inequality across our region and nation;
- Providing education and training to CCAN staff, enabling them to be aware of the racial and equity dynamics in our society and region and be able to incorporate equity principles into their work; and
- Assessing and reassessing our internal practices, structure, and policies to ensure CCAN is a workplace where our staff reflects the diversity of our region and that staff from any background feel supported, valued, included and welcomed.