Black Lives Matter.

It is an unequivocal statement that should be uttered, believed, and lived by all, yet it is too often demeaned, dismissed, and marginalized. For over 400 years Black bodies have been subjugated, brutalized, marginalized, and killed. We are centuries too late in recognizing each other’s humanity. Anti-blackness and state violence has always been a plague of this country, from the genocide of Indigenous Peoples—500 years ago—to the deaths of Emmett Till, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.

As a society, we have not learned to be a people together. We have only learned to “other” someone who is not us, to use power of whiteness to put down Black, Brown, Indigneous, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and to be okay with violence against another.

The JCET Project was started as an effort to build alignment and solidarity to support the movements for just transition away from an extractive economy to a Regenerative Economy. The JCET project is also white-led. For all those identifying as white, this is an important moment for us to take a step and be anti-racist. There is no in-between. We may not have created this system, but as white folks, we have immense responsibility to address the horrors of white supremacy and the structurally racist system that is the foundation of the United States. It is incumbent upon us to do our own work in dismantling white supremacist and racist thinking and actions in ourselves, our families, our work, and in our society. It requires that we do the work and show up in solidarity and action with our Black brothers and sisters. We will make mistakes, we will not be perfect, but we cannot look away.

Now is the time for us to see our humanity and liberation as a people tied together. We must stand as one and say no more. Every Black child, adult, and soul matters.

For those looking for solutions, please visit the Movement for Black Lives Platform and vision.

For white folks looking for resources on where to begin, please check out this resource list.

If you are looking for places to move resources, check your local area Black-led food justice and environmental justice organizations, local bail funds, or Black-led mutual aid networks and communities.

It is a dark time rooted in a dark history. But we can rise as a people and overcome.

With hope,

Anthony Giancatarino