Friends,

It’s hard to know what to do in times like these, with violence, xenophobia, and hate on the rise. As an organization dedicated specifically to working on climate change, we’ve really wrestled with how to engage with what feels like a historic moral and political moment.

The climate crisis affects all of us, but it doesn’t affect all of us equally. Climate change dramatically magnifies inequalities like race, consistently hitting Black, brown, Indigenous, and poor communities first and hardest. Climate justice is inextricably tied to the fights against racism, inequality, and hate.

This year — with the election dominating the public consciousness, a climate-denying racist on the ballot, and #BlackLivesMatter protests gaining momentum around the country — we have an opportunity as climate activists to draw these connections. We have an opportunity to show up, and to take a stand against both hateful, divisive political rhetoric and the willful denial of the multiple intersecting crises we’re facing. Our movements are linked, and we can build power together.

With that in mind, here are two things you can do this week:

• Donald Trump is about to be the most dangerous presidential nominee in modern history, running a campaign built on violence and fear. If elected, he would be the only national leader in the world to outright dismiss the science of climate change, and the decisions he would make could set back most of what we’ve been working on in the climate movement. On Thursday, July 21st, a coalition of progressive organizations are organizing “Stop Trump” actions to coincide with the end of the Republican National Convention. Click here to find a protest in your area.

• Also on Thursday, the Movement for Black Lives is mobilizing around the country against police violence and systemic racism. Click here to find an action near you, or here to join the Facebook event.

What happened over the weekend in Baton Rouge is chilling. More than ever, standing against hate and for nonviolent resistance is crucial. We are strongest when we spread that message together.

This moment of upheaval and change calls on us to do more — to break out of our comfort zones, to grapple with complexity, and to show up.

See you in the streets,

May

p.s. That “Don’t Trump our Communities Banner?” It was deployed by five fracking and immigration activists from CA, OH, CO, and MD at the RNC to call on all politicians to respect communities harmed by fossil fuel extraction and deportations.