During this year’s Hurricane Preparedness Week, Building Equity and Alignment for Environmental Justice (BEA) stands with organizers throughout the South and the Gulf Coast. Many of these communities are experiencing ongoing neglect by our governments who have ignored the reality of climate change for the pursuit of capital. 

Hurricanes are turning communities into apocalyptic scenes of terror, unleashing relentless rain, pushing the waters of the ocean far into land, and destroying aging and neglected public infrastructure as water combines with deadly winds.  Science proves this, but people are living it. 

Communities of color who live on these coasts, often Black and Indigenous people, are fighting to preserve their lives, land, and culture. Climate change has created a crisis, but we are resilient. 

Communities should be able to make the decisions for what is best for them. We know those closest to the problem, hold the solutions. It’s time for lawmakers to listen and  honor frontline communities’ knowledge and leadership by taking action. 

Join us as we continue to center community-led organizing throughout the environmental movement in pursuit of justice and liberation by supporting our demands:

• We demand that philanthropies increase multi-year investments into environmental justice organizations, because single year donations aren't enough to support the work that needs to be done. 
• We demand a divestment from fossil fuels and a reinvestment into frontline communities and community-led organizations. 
• We demand that lawmakers stop passing zoning laws that allow for building on floodplains, putting people’s lives at risk. 
• We demand the public infrastructure be updated and maintained on a regular basis so that the roads, bridges, and school buildings that people rely on are safe to use.

BEA will continue to build power by redistributing wealth, supporting local organizations, and training the future leaders of the environmental justice movement as they mitigate harm by environmental racism and climate change. Learn how to get involved by signing up for our newsletter.