November 9 rocked the world. People across our country woke to escalating levels of racialized and gendered violence. Swastikas have been spray-painted on college campuses. Children have been bullied in elementary schools, hearing that their parents would be deported by the time they got home from school. The Southern Poverty Law Center documented over 1,000 cases of bias-related harassment and intimidation in just the first month following the election.
And that was only the beginning of the hate that is now rocking our nation. From the despicable Muslim Ban to the terrifying reality that white supremacists have penetrated the highest levels of our federal government: These are dark times.
We must remember that this hate is not new. This same hate existed on November 8, just as it did the day before and the day before that. Hate is not new for people of color nor for those who suffer most from oppression due to their identity. However, people with hate in their hearts are now feeling more empowered than ever to act on their bigotry.
In this moment, I feel more passionate than ever about our work to build a Sierra Club community that is safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all people who share our values. With a Sierra Club presence in all 50 states, we are both uniquely positioned and morally compelled to provide safe spaces for community building and connection, spaces free of the bigotry and hatred that are on the rise in our nation. It is our responsibility as one of the nation’s largest progressive organizations in the country to be a safe harbor in the storm, particularly for those who suffer oppression most due to their personal identities.
But to do that we must work harder than ever to make ourselves the change we want to see in the world. We cannot afford to get this wrong — there is too much at stake. Our success depends on our ability to create a truly inclusive and welcoming environment that values the contributions of people from all cultures. We must resist the Trump agenda so that the next generation will benefit from the same freedoms and rights that our generation and those before us fought so hard to win.
We can do this. We can resist the rise of fascism in our nation by uniting together in solidarity. But to be in true solidarity with people facing oppression on the basis of their identities, organizations like Sierra Club must transform ourselves from within.
This is not the time to make “diversity” our goal. Diversity means much more than race — it means gender expression and identity, (dis)ability, sexuality, immigration status, class background, religious affiliation, age — all of these things and more make up someone’s intersectional identity. When we hide behind the catchphrase of “diversity” rather than naming specific identities, the term loses its meaning and often leads to tokenizing people due to their identity.
Instead it is time to commit to equity and justice, to establish transformational relationships with people and communities and to lift up the voices of those who have been historically excluded from access to opportunity and democratic process. This is the moment for us to show up as allies for justice to push back against the hate and violence that are on the rise.
We’ve learned from our work so far that focusing on our three key principles of equity, justice, and inclusion is the next step along our journey to becoming an organization that attracts, retains, and celebrates people from all walks of life. It is by keeping our focus on these three principles, and allowing them to guide all of the work that we do, that we can create the welcoming, evolving organizational culture that will make the Sierra Club a true reflection of the communities we live in, work in, and love.
It is for this reason that we have chosen to do away with the name of our Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and to instead root and focus our approach in equity. This is reflected in our new department name: the Department of Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.
By working together to create a more equitable, just, and inclusive environment, we will build a Sierra Club that welcomes, attracts, and values the contributions of all people. That new Sierra Club will be diverse indeed — and so much more.