The following is a letter from the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE).
Dear Colleagues,
There is no environmental justice without racial justice. We at Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment stand in solidary with the Black community and support the goals of Black Lives Matter. Like many, we are doubling down on our commitment to advancing racial justice and dismantling anti-Blackness.
We are City employees, but we are also individuals. In honor of Juneteenth, we’re challenging OSE staff, colleagues, partners, families, and friends to raise $3,000 by July 3, 2020 to support racial justice.
Join the OSE Challenge. Please consider a donation to benefit two featured racial justice organizations. Organizations were selected via crowdsourcing and input from OSE’s Race & Social Justice Change Team.
- Nurturing Roots is farm nestled on a plot of land in Beacon Hill beside the Black Power Epicenter. Founder and urban farmer Nyema Clark works with her team and partners to provide affordable, sustainable alternatives to high-end grocery markets for families living in her community. Nurturing Roots works with organizations including Highline College, Roots of All Roads, Africa Town Clean Greens, and the Rainier Beach Action Coalition to expand the reach of Nurturing Roots’ harvests.
- Wa Na Wari creates space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection. The organization is a center for Black art and culture in Seattle’s historically redlined Central District neighborhood. Sited in a 5th-generation Black-owned home, Wa Na Wari:
- Hosts rotating exhibits by local and regional Black artists
- Provides a space for workshops, performances, and lectures
- Convenes changemakers, elders, youth, neighbors, and artists for collaboration, innovation, and community organizing.
- Operates an oral history studio for gathering and sharing the stories of Seattle’s historically Black Central District
Donate today. To keep it simple and maximize benefit to organizations, you can send donations to OSE Deputy Director Michelle Caulfield through Venmo @Michelle-Caulfield or PayPal.Me/caulfieldm. Michelle will pool contributions, share results, and make a one-time donation to each organization at the end of the campaign (July 3). If you’d rather donate directly, feel free to do so but please let Michelle know at [email protected] so your contribution can count toward the OSE campaign.
Spread the word. Please share this email with colleagues, family, and friends. We encourage them to join in! Collectively we can make a difference.
This campaign is voluntary. We know many are giving and supporting change in various ways. Thank you for your contributions!