Virginia Wilderness Committee
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The Virginia Wilderness Committee's Statement on Racial Inequity

     The Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) stands with the peaceful protests that have occurred across the United States. We regret the pain and suffering communities of color have endured for years under white supremacy. The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor remind us of our nation’s long and dreadful history of racism and racially-based violence.  The recent incident in Central Park in which Christian Cooper was threatened for “birding while Black” highlights that systemic racism exists on our public lands and trails as well as in our streets. For too long Black and Indigenous people and other people of color have felt unwelcome in conservation organizations and unsafe in the great outdoors.
     During the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd, our parks, national forests and wilderness areas have provided places of refuge and renewal. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to take advantage of the healing and rejuvenating power of nature. Too often, people of color, especially Black people, are targets of suspicion when performing everyday activities like hiking and birdwatching. This exacts a severe psychological and physical toll that keeps untold numbers of people from participating in outdoor activities and conservation organizations, like ours, that promote them.
       As historically white institutions, wilderness conservation organizations, including VWC, must now listen, learn, and take-action to redress past failures. We acknowledge we have been complicit with systems of racial segregation and inequality. We acknowledge our organization must be more welcoming to and inclusive of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. We recognize that by doing so we will become a stronger organization and more effective advocates for Virginia’s public lands. We acknowledge we can do more to make Virginia’s public lands inviting and safe for everyone. We recognize the time to create greater equity both within our organization and beyond is past due.
       VWC’s staff and board of directors commit to doing the individual, organizational, and cultural work of proactive anti-racism. We will educate ourselves and our members. We will engage in self-examination regarding issues of race. We will make our organization more welcoming and inclusive. We will advocate for anti-racist conservation policies. We will invest our resources, privilege, and power. We will find more ways to work with and support communities of color and serve as anti-racist allies.
       VWC is currently working on two projects that will help us fulfill our commitment to racial justice and equity:
  • proposed Wilderness and National Heritage Area designations at the Great Dismal Swamp in Tidewater and
  • recognition of historic tribal lands of the Indigenous Monacan people in the Blue Ridge. 
       The 112,000-acre Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the largest intact remnant of a vast ecosystem that once covered over a million acres of eastern Virginia and North Carolina.  Historically the swamp provided refuge to Indigenous people and African Americans, including maroon communities established by self-liberated enslaved African Americans. Yet no part of the refuge is protected as Wilderness or set aside to tell the stories of these people. VWC is currently participating in the Great Dismal Swamp Stakeholder Collaborative in order to better protect and preserve the natural and cultural history of the Great Dismal Swamp.  
       The Monacan people once inhabited much of Virginia from the fall line west to the Blue Ridge.   Many members of the Monacan Indian Nation now reside in the Irish Creek area of Rockbridge County and around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At their request, VWC is assisting them in designating historic tribal lands on both sides of the Blue Ridge as a National Register of Historic Places Rural Historic District.
While we are proud of our current efforts, we recognize that this is only a start. We are committed to the proposition that Black and Indigenous people, and all people of color’s lives matter in Virginia’s great outdoors. The Virginia Wilderness Committee will work to ensure all people can enjoy our public lands without fear.
 
Virginia Wilderness Committee Board and Staff
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VWC is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.  Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law


© Virginia Wilderness Committee, 2013

Contact us:
Virginia Wilderness Committee
[email protected]
P.O. Box 7257
​
Richmond, VA 23221