Uncertain or certain times

As I take a pause from ingesting the difficult news, I’m reflecting on the terms that became a regular part of the vocabulary in government policy and programs during the Biden/Harris administration: equity, justice, diversity, inclusion, community. What happens next is uncertain. However, I am even more certain on many fronts that what was launched in the 46th Administration and lifting up the voices of community, we will continue this to make sure we fly to a new better future.

I feel certain that what Biden and Harris built with Justice40 was a remarkable turn in national policy recognized and appreciated by most of us working in environmental justice and energy justice.

I feel certain that the learning and unlearning that we took the time to do through our organizations’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives or on our own personal time has opened many sets of eyes to systemic racism. We cannot unsee it now!

I feel certain that the skills for community and governments to approach addressing environmental injustices through enabling community leaders and organizations to be in the front seat designing and implementing solutions were beginning to stick. Exercised and practicing this inversion (from top down to bottom up) of who is making the decisions requires moving at the speed of trust and we began to build that trust.

That support for Justice40, DEI, and Community planning elements were blown away in the first two weeks of our current administration, reconfirms my certainty that the leaders in Biden/Harris administration “got it” and communities backed them. We are suffering the inevitable backlash we have seen with every step towards dismantling white supremacy our country has historically experienced (The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself - David Mura). We cannot give in or give up.

I have yet to assess for myself and my business how to retool my efforts. I know the frameworks, relationships, and examples of success are all still in place for us to continue making progress, and my intention is to do just that. When I hear the phrase “uncertain times” now, my response is to double down and fight harder to make certain communities live these vocabularies of equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion.