NYC H2O
Dear NYC H2O Community,
We write to you with profound sorrow and pain over the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless more. In working to create a collaborative team response, we have used this time to listen and reflect on the dialogue going on around us. We want our community of students, teachers, and environmental advocates to know that we stand in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism, white supremacy and the historic oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
The murders of unarmed Black citizens continue to expose the systemic brutalization of Black communities. These horrific events are not isolated -- they are emblematic of the pervasive violence and oppression wrought by a system that targets and exploits BIPOC communities. These injustices have sparked momentous protests across New York City, the United States, and the world.
As an organization that focuses on environmental education, we recognize that our most vulnerable communities are often overlooked or left out of the conversation. We appreciate the significance of the ways we influence how students understand NYC’s water ecology and park spaces. We have the ability and responsibility to approach the historical narrative of NYC’s water system with a critical lens and create nuanced discussions that promote understanding between communities.
We are committed to furthering this statement through the following actions:
As we continue to educate ourselves to create a deeper, more inclusive perspective on our work, we plan to add concrete steps to this list. We welcome and invite you to join us as NYC H2O embraces further steps to honor these principles in our commitments and programs.
In solidarity,
The NYC H2O Team
We write to you with profound sorrow and pain over the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless more. In working to create a collaborative team response, we have used this time to listen and reflect on the dialogue going on around us. We want our community of students, teachers, and environmental advocates to know that we stand in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism, white supremacy and the historic oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
The murders of unarmed Black citizens continue to expose the systemic brutalization of Black communities. These horrific events are not isolated -- they are emblematic of the pervasive violence and oppression wrought by a system that targets and exploits BIPOC communities. These injustices have sparked momentous protests across New York City, the United States, and the world.
As an organization that focuses on environmental education, we recognize that our most vulnerable communities are often overlooked or left out of the conversation. We appreciate the significance of the ways we influence how students understand NYC’s water ecology and park spaces. We have the ability and responsibility to approach the historical narrative of NYC’s water system with a critical lens and create nuanced discussions that promote understanding between communities.
We are committed to furthering this statement through the following actions:
- Create an urban environmental justice module in our Virtual Hub;
- Present a more inclusive history of NYC, its water system and its connection to equitable access to public health;
- Deepen our commitment to working with schools in under-served neighborhoods across the city; and
- Amplify the BIPOC voices within the field of Earth Sciences and environmental education in our programming and events.
As we continue to educate ourselves to create a deeper, more inclusive perspective on our work, we plan to add concrete steps to this list. We welcome and invite you to join us as NYC H2O embraces further steps to honor these principles in our commitments and programs.
In solidarity,
The NYC H2O Team