Our Pledge in the Fight to End Systemic Racism

As we attempt to process the inequities, fear and violence we have observed over the last week, we are anguished and angry about the systemic racism that Black Americans continue to face. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

At Billion Oyster Project, we envision a future in which New York Harbor is the center of a rich, diverse, and abundant estuary. One in which the communities that surround this complex ecosystem have helped construct it, and in return benefit from it, with endless opportunities for work, education, and recreation. We envision the Harbor as a world-class public space, well used and well cared for—our Commons.

We understand that our vision is impossible if we are not active in acknowledging, condemning, and working to fight the systemic racism against communities of color in our city.

As we advocate for access to NY Harbor and nature, we acknowledge that communities of color have less access to and are less likely to feel welcomed in these spaces. What happened to Chris Cooper in Central Park is just one example of the unambiguous racism that people of color are subject to in our shared natural spaces of New York City. This is unacceptable and we are committed to making the Harbor universally accessible to the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community.

What are some of the actions we will take to work towards a more just and fair society? We pledge to:

1. Beactivelyandvocallyanti-racist.We understand that there is no neutral position on racism, and that silence is not an option. Black lives matter and we will leverage our public communications channels to support, engage, and educate our community.
2. Recruit and retain staff of color. We will continue to lean on our elected Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee to review our hiring practices and work to foster a culture of empathy that is welcoming to all.
3. Hire minority-owned businesses to fulfill our contracts.We will take the time to research and vet the vendors we support, making sure that Billion Oyster Project's purchases reflect our values and our commitment to diversity.
4. Amplify the voices from our Black community.We will regularly invite BIPOC environmentalists, scientists, advocates and educators from our team and local community to publicly and privately share their experiences working in and around NY Harbor.
5. Create safe spaces at the water's edge for NYC students from BIPOC communities. We will work with local communities from the ground up to create more equitable educational programming and opportunities. We will embed environmental and social justice messaging in multiple languages in our curriculum, permanent signage, and in-person events.
6. Share resources we find helpful, like this reading list from The New York Times. We hope you will join us in using these resources to discuss race, now, at this challenging time, and moving forward.

From all of us at Billion Oyster Project, we are proud to work with you in restoring our Harbor for all New Yorkers, and we are committed to working towards solutions that enable the students, scientists, volunteers, and partners who join us at the water's edge to do so as full and equal partners.