More than two weeks of daily protests have shown the inextinguishable commitment of Black/African American folks and their allies to justice and dignity. This Black-led movement, in the face of curfews and militarized brutality from police, is demanding institutional changes that will improve the lives of Black/African American people and, in the process, contribute to creating a world that works for all.
This movement is revealing painful ways we are separate but it also lays the groundwork for a more just, interconnected future. While Black Lives Matter is clearly focused on saving Black lives from police violence and ending systemic racism, it is also a gateway to an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
George Floyd’s murder is one painful manifestation of the myth of separation that denies our inherent interconnectedness and interdependence. But George’s death is one of many examples of police brutality that has institutionalized the myth of separation into modern systemic racism. That same myth of separation that undergirds racism is also used to justify the extraction of fossil fuels and the destruction of the rainforest. It drives the never-ending consumerist lifestyle that shackles us to a system of exploitation while leaving us spiritually vacant. The Black Lives Matter movement and the work of undoing racism is an integral component of creating the future we are committed to.
We at the Pachamama Alliance have a lot to learn and we hope you’ll join us in that journey.
To begin with, we want to use our platform to prioritize and present the actions and policy demands presented by the Movement for Black Lives. We’ll be deeply engaging in the material, researching the demands, and exploring how we can best support them. We encourage you to do the same.
https://m4bl.org/week-of-action/
We will also be steeping ourselves–and invite you–in the Black Lives Matter website that is full of powerful content and pathways to support that movement.
Finally, you can find a discussion in the Global Commons based on a powerful perspective from Pachamama Alliance ally, Van Jones.
https://connect.pachamama.org/standing-in-solidarity
This moment, full of uncertainty, violence, and suffering also provides a pivotal opening for creating a world we want to leave to future generations. From our work in Ecuador to our transformational educational programs and on-the-ground community building across the world, Pachamama Alliance is ready to engage in this moment and we invite you to do it with us. Leveraging the power of story, relying on the spirit of life for guidance, grounding in indigenous wisdom, we as the extended Pachamama Alliance community commit to confronting and transforming the harsh reality of racism, and to be in action as game changers building a regenerative future for all.
In love and solidarity,
Mario Trigueros, Pachamama Alliance Managing Director
