Environmental Justice In The Era of Trump: A Time of Crisis and A Call for Action Preamble We, the youth and future of our nation, gathered together in a time of national grief and upheaval, do hereby renew and affirm our commitment to protecting the environment where we live, work, and play for all of us and for future generations, inviting you, the people, to do so with us. In the Service of Our Planet We mandate that our new government maintain recognition of prior U.S. pledges (Paris Agreement, Climate Action Plan, EPA’s Clean Power Plan) to reduce emissions through funding, regulation, and enforcement to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations of humans and other living organisms. We denounce the open hostility which has been leveled by the Trump administration at the EPA, and offer our support to their stated purpose of environmental protection going forward. We oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline due to their negative environmental impacts and infringement upon the sovereign rights of native peoples and violation of legitimate treaties. For the Protection of the Disenfranchised and their Rights to Land and Space We mandate that the U.S., when making any decision, recognize the sovereignty, self-determination, and special legal relationship of Native peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, covenants, compacts, and agreements. We maintain our support of Standing Rock’s Water Protectors and call for its continued demilitarization in addition to respect for sacred burial grounds and the land rights of the Sioux tribe. We oppose the forced forfeit of private land for the purpose of building an unjust wall at the U.S.-Mexico border because it denies the basic rights of immigrants and separates families. In Opposition to Xenophobia, Militarism, Racism and Isolationism We oppose President-elect Trump’s xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric through proposed restrictions on immigration regardless of valid visas, requirements for periodic check-ins by selected immigrants and visitors, interrogation and home raids, and mass deportation. We encourage addressing the systemic roots of social and economic problems instead of criminalizing people of color and targeting them with policing, imprisonment, and militarization. These practices do not create safety in our communities, but make our communities insecure. We support DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) and call for the continuation and expansion of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). We affirm cities that declare themselves “sanctuary cities” and institutions that refuse to take part in the racial profiling of immigrants or revealing immigration status.

We demand that Trump support the Justice Department in phasing out the use of private prisons at the federal level. More generally, we call for decarceration because jails and prisons are toxic both to prisoners and to the environment through emission of dangerous pollutants. We also urge the demilitarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as local police and public schools in order to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. And To Safeguard the Future Health and Happiness of our Nation We resist the Trump Administration’s pro-industrial propaganda and systematic denial of scientifically proven pollution health effects including increased risk of chronic illness and cardiovascular diseases. We denounce systematic racism, and those who deny it, disproportionately targeting low-income communities and people of color by establishing industrial plants, oil drills and pipelines, landfills, incinerators, hazardous waste sites, heavily trafficked roadways, and other toxic polluters near their neighborhoods. We oppose racially exclusionary zoning and planning that creates health disparities due to the lack of healthy food access and recreational facilities that promote physical wellness. We affirm the right to safe air and drinking water for all. As such, we call for a democratic system of governance that prioritizes the wellbeing of community members over financial profit in decisions that may impact their health. In doing so, we hope to prevent future disasters such as that which occurred in Flint, Michigan. Of You, the People, We Ask This Resist - physically, verbally, electorally, any way you can. Do not wait until it is too late. Vote in local and national elections and write to your local congressman. Democracy, as has been seen, is not government by majority. It is a government by the majority of those who participate actively and make their voices heard. Join advocacy groups fighting for causes you believe in. Organize across communities to bring about solidarity among all people. Donate to and volunteer to work in NGOs fighting against harmful policies and decisions, and engage with community-based organizations. Act as a watchdog and make the unjust actions of government officials and company leaders known. Educate yourself on these issues and how you can use your rights to combat injustice. Make use of social media to educate others, promote awareness, speak up, and use your voice to bring about change. Make decisions as an individual that reflect your values. Do not underestimate your own market power as a consumer. Cash counts, regardless of which side you end up supporting with it. Above all, do not give up. Maintain momentum and commit to bringing about the change that you wish to see. Together, we can make an actionable difference. ~ EA 86 Class Fall 2016