CANOPY BLOG

Black Lives Matter. And we all have a role to play.

By Canopy Team on June 13, 2020

Dear Canopy Friends,

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, Manuel Ellis, and countless others are the continuation of a long and brutally unjust history of systemic anti-blackness, racism, and oppression. We all have a role to play in speaking up and rooting out systemic injustice.

Canopy stands in solidarity and support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the demand for justice, accountability, and systemic change. Canopy staff and board commit to being anti-racist, as individuals and in our collective work as an organization. Anti-racism involves taking stock of policies and systems that are racially biased, and actively working to replace them with systems that are just and equitable. It means working to eradicate racism wherever we find it—in our institutions, our communities, our workplaces, and within ourselves.

Canopy’s vision is a day when every resident of the Midpeninsula can step outside to move, play, and thrive under the shade of healthy trees. To deliver on the promise of access to nature for all means ensuring that Black, Indigenous, and all Persons of Color (BIPOC) can move freely and safely in every space, without fear of profiling, harassment, or violence.

To our BIPOC partners and community members we commit to:

Continue improving our policies and programs to ensure an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment for our employees, volunteers, and everyone in the Canopy community.
Amplify the voices of Black community members
Increase BIPOC representation on our staff and board
Listen, learn, and educate ourselves on what it means to be true and effective allies
Work every day for equitable access to the outdoors and focus our efforts for climate and environmental justice on BIPOC communities, which are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.

To our white partners and community members, we invite you to join us in listening, learning, and growing as allies.

Black Lives Matter.

In solidarity,
The Canopy Team