Climate justice begins with racial justice

Originally posted May 2022.

The Healthy Ocean Coalition is sickened by the continuing violence that white supremacy and the attending gun culture continue to inflict upon our communities. Schools, grocery stores, churches, concerts ... this list is never-ending.

We are humans behind this account. We are parents, members of our communities, and we are sick. of. it. We feel pain, grief, and anger toward the fact that in the month of May alone children, black grocery shoppers, Taiwanese church parishioners, and more have tragically lost their lives to this horrific, and seemingly endless cycle of gun violence that we have in this country.

So, today, we mourn the loss of precious lives. Grieving for the families who just experienced the most painful loss known to man, losing a child. We cannot afford to become desensitized to this, and that is exactly what is happening. These are real people. These are lives cut short and it’s all because, in America, freedom is not free, freedom is bought. Privilege is purchased with human lives, and in this case, children’s lives, by the gun lobby, by Big Oil, by Big Pharma. And all of the members of Congress that they have in their pockets that are intentionally holding up progress and sabotaging any attempt to make this world healthier and safer for the American people and beyond.

The system, which was built to benefit wealthy white men in the first place, is broken. We need to adapt or we will continue to perish, one-by-one until the AR-15 toting, power hungry, greedy people in the world are the only ones left to destroy the rest of the planet.

Campaign finance reform is a must if anything is going to change.
Gun legislation is a must if anything is going to change.
Ending white supremacy is a must if anything is going to change.
Robust social services are a must if anything is going to change.
Sweeping climate legislation is a must if anything is going to change.

We mention this because while the HOC focuses on equitable ocean policy, advocacy is an umbrella. Nothing exists in a silo and everything is connected. The life of an advocate is taking the skill sets that we have and drive that we have and using them to stand up for whatever we believe in, whether it’s reducing noise pollution in the ocean, protecting 30x30, or contacting our members of Congress to express our outrage at the gun lobby that is perpetuating a cycle of murdered loved ones and children. And demanding that they bring a vote to the floor now on gun legislation.

We can’t afford to be silent on these issues. We need everyone’s voices. We need everyone to channel that anger, grief, and fear into action.

Our love,
Jenna & Sarah