As Independence Day approaches, we hold space for the complexity of our American legacy.
We celebrate the growing cultural awareness that it is now time to grieve over the genocide and slavery that our forefathers chose to enact, instead of learning to live in peace with the First Nations of Turtle Island.
On this Independence Day that is celebrated for freedom and the birth of a new nation, it is now time to acknowledge how this nation came to be - the part that has been written out of history.
Moving forward, we can now choose to change that.
We can choose compassion, respect, responsibility and forgiveness, as our Indigenous Counci member shared last week, at a community event.
However you choose to celebrate, or not celebrate, we hope that you take a moment to acknowledge the countless Indigenous nations still living on these soils and speak their names.
As we stand in respect for Indigenous and non-indigenous people who have served our country, let us hold the intention to step towards collective unity while still acknowledging the trauma and violence of our history.
Let this 4th of July bring us one step closer to unity, solidarity, and peacemaking.
deep bow,
The AVF Team
Juneteenth & Climate Justice
On June 19th, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, over 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state of Texas were freed after an executive decree was issued in the city of Galveston Bay.
In 2021, Juneteenth was established as an official federal holiday. Today, it is celebrated by some, and marked as a time to emphasize Black achievement, and commemorated by others as a day to recognize that injustice is still alive in the United States.
As an organization dedicated to climate justice, intersectional environmentalism, and peacemaking, we recognize this country's failure to protect Black communities and include Black voices in both environmental activism and environmental appreciation.
We also recognize the intricately connected relationship between racism and the climate crisis, knowing that colonization and systemic racism have directly created the current global problems we are facing.
Our work towards a more viable future for our planet must go hand-in-hand with working towards a more just world for Black communities.
Therefore, we at AVF are working to acknowledge and dismantle our own unconscious blindspots and bias, in order to stand as allies in solidarity with all BIPOC people, organizations and communities.
The Mohican Ancestral Healing Fellowship Program
Join us in welcoming Wanonah to the Berkshires!
Wanonah, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans, is receiving our six-month fellowship to deepen her relationship with her ancestral homeland—the Berkshires.
On April 15th, 2023, she will be traveling to the area with her brother, her two daughters, and her granddaughter to begin her fellowship.
The Fellowship will include work in our key programs:
🌎 The Berkshire Climate Leadership Council
🌎 Indigenous Peoples' Day events
We will be hosting an online event to welcome her and open the floor for questions and community building in May 2023.
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