Dear EEGS Community,
The environment is not a politically neutral space. Specific environments are the geographic spaces within which certain groups of people experience disproportionate violence, discrimination, oppression and marginalization. Ecological degradation and violence against marginalized populations are interrelated. Examples include (but are not limited to) intentionally racist patterns of urban planning that place hazardous facilities in low-income Black communities and the ‘man camps’ of fossil fuel megaprojects that have caused an epidemic of murdered and missing indigenous women. As such, sustainable solutions must be predicated on commitments to social justice. However, teaching and researching these connections are not enough.
We have become aware of cases where EEGS students of color at NMU experience discrimination, harassment and violence based on their identities and personalities. Hate or discrimination of any kind (e.g., racism, sexism, classism, ableism, nationalism) has no place in EEGS. Now more than ever, we must reaffirm our commitment to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.In the EEGS Department we will continue to build on our efforts to create a safe and welcoming space for every student.
Signatories to this statement commit to dismantling systemic racism within our science and in the broader academic community. We commit to anti-racist action in our research, teaching, service and community engagement. The EEGS faculty and staff represented in this statement pledge to decolonize our work by fostering a diverse, inclusive and equitable learning and research experience for all people in our programs. Further, we celebrate differences and seek to eliminate instances of injustice for our Black, Indigenous or Other People of Color (BIPOC) students, faculty and staff. As allies and accomplices with an ethos of solidarity borne out of love and compassion, we hear you, we see you, and we will work to uplift you and amplify your voices. Vital work towards abolishing white supremacy and patriarchy within the academic fields of geography and environmental sciences is already occurring, work that we support and strive to accelerate. Black Lives Matter.
Standing in solidarity with you in the environments in which we live, work and play,
Ryan Stock, Assistant Professor
Norma Froelich, Associate Professor
Weronika Kusek, Associate Professor
Matthew Van Grinsven, Assistant Professor
Sarah Mittlefehldt, Associate Professor
Michael Broadway, Professor
Adam Naito, Assistant Professor
Robert Regis, Professor
Robert Legg, Professor
Susy Ziegler, Professor
Richard Ziegler, Contingent Instructor