COVID-19 crisis continues to disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people and other communities of color

The COVID-19 crisis has not passed and continues to disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people and other communities of color. The pandemic has revealed how the communities hardest hit are often the same communities that suffer from high levels of pollution and poor access to healthcare. The fight for environmental justice cannot be separated from the fight for racial justice.

Unacceptable....One answer the Environmental Justice COVID-19 Act

Photo by iStockphoto.com/LFO62 | Take Action | Unacceptable Our nation is in the midst of a public health crisis brought on by a failed response to COVID-19. Making matters worse, an independent study has found that Black people are more than twice as likely to die from the virus than white people. This is unacceptable. A new bill, the Environmental Justice COVID-19 Act, will help investigate and address the disproportionate effects COVID-19 has had on Black communities. Please help us get it passed.

Racism is Killing the Planet. July 2020

Photo by Mark Peterson/Redux | Sierra Magazine | Racism Is Killing the Planet “It’s no exaggeration to say that racism and white supremacy harm all of us,” says Hop Hopkins, the Sierra Club’s director of strategic partnerships. “In addition to robbing us of our humanity, racism is also killing the planet we all share. An idea—a long-overdue realization—is growing in the environmental movement. I really believe in my heart of hearts—after a lifetime of thinking and talking about these issues—that we will never survive the climate crisis without ending white supremacy. "Here’s why." Photo courtesy of Jonathon Berman | Article | A Movement Moment “The Sierra Club is committed to meeting this moment,” says Sierra Club president Ramón Cruz. “The Board of Directors has officially signed onto the platform of The Movement for Black Lives, demanding an end to police brutality and white supremacy, and defunding the police in favor of investing in Black communities. "What’s happening now may seem unprecedented, but it’s not. It’s an extension and a deepening of the work that’s long been central to the Sierra Club." Photo courtesy of Javier Sierra | En Español | Peace Will Come When Justice is Done The marches and rallies in support of The Movement for Black Lives have been overwhelmingly peaceful, amid the violent repression they have suffered, fanned by Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric. Regardless of his attempts to asphyxiate everything that is decent in our country, his construction of a wall around the White House, and his hiding from the American people, Trump now lives right across the street from what used to be Lafayette Square, which DC Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza earlier this month. The country and its political system must work for all of us, no matter where we are from, our gender, or the color of our skin. "There will be no peace without justice—for all." Photo by iStockphoto.com/LFO62 | Take Action |

Recovery Live! Supporting Families of Adults Who Experience SMI and/or SUD Thursday | July 23, 2020 | 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT

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Recovery Live! Supporting Families of Adults Who Experience SMI and/or SUD Thursday | July 23, 2020 | 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT Family members play varied roles in the lives of adults with mental illness or substance use disorder. Many family members provide emotional, social, and instrumental supports, including help with money, housing, child care, and transportation. Family members often help their loved ones to access and navigate services, and face unique challenges as they do so. Increasingly, organizations are recognizing that supporting families is an important part of supporting individuals in or seeking recovery. SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) invites you to join national experts in a conversation about the experiences of families as they support their loved ones. Please join us for this free, interactive virtual event moderated by Lonnetta Albright, BRSS TACS Subject Matter Expert. Register For The Virtual Event   Registration will close 60 minutes before the event start time. Presenters:  Lynda Gargan, PhD, Executive Director, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Michelle Covington, MS, Project Manager, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Trish Todd, Program Manager, Substance Use Family Navigation Program, Maryland Coalition of Families Zira Franks, MSC, BHT, Program Development Director Adult Services, Family Involvement Center ght © 2020. All rights reserved.

GCC's Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit. July 2020

Save the Date: Launching GCC's Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit

Wednesday, July 29, 2020 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

Register for the webinar

Please join the Georgetown Climate Center on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, for a webinar launching GCC’s new Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit, an online resource for community-based organizations and state and local governments working to develop and implement equitable adaptation solutions. The effects of climate change disproportionately burden low-income communities and communities of color, who already face significant economic, social, and environmental challenges. The cumulative impacts of pollution, racism, and political and economic disenfranchisement make it difficult for these communities to withstand and recover from extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts. The Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit explores best emerging practices, legal and policy tools, and case studies to help state and local governments work with communities to develop and implement climate adaptation solutions that achieve beneficial outcomes for all. The Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit was co-created by GCC staff and a panel of advisors, and was informed by the insights and expertise of a network of local, state, and federal adaptation practitioners; community-based organization leaders; and other partners. The full Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit will be available on July 29. GCC would like to thank the Kresge Foundation and the other generous funders who support GCC's work for making this project possible. Register for the July 29 webinar Learn more about the Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit Contact climate@georgetown.edu for questions about the webinar. Contact Tiffany.Ganthier@georgetown.edu for questions about the toolkit.

DHS Announces Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2020 Preparedness Awards. July 2020

FEMA ADVISORY – June 30, 2020

As part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ongoing efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf today announced final allocations of $385 million for seven Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 DHS competitive preparedness grant programs. These allocations, together with the more than $1.3 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced by DHS in February and April, total nearly $1.8 billion in FY 2020 granted to assist states, local areas, tribal and territorial governments, nonprofit agencies, and the private sector with their preparedness efforts.

The FY2020 grant guidance continues to focus on the nation’s highest risk areas and national priorities. Grant recipients under the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) will be required to dedicate a minimum of 20 percent of awards to address four priority areas: cybersecurity (5 percent); soft target and crowded places (5 percent); information and intelligence sharing (5 percent); and emerging threats (5 percent).

The full DHS announcement is available on the DHS website. Further information on DHS preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.

Systems Failure: Policing Can’t Be Reformed: Why Defunding and Abolishing is the Common-Sense Approach

Monday, July 13, 2020 12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET Register Now Communities across the country are rising up and demanding that policymakers reallocate budgets by divesting from the police and investing directly in Black communities. This webinar will explore what “defund” means, its connection to police abolition, how “anti-Blackness” must be confronted before any system can provide safety and justice, and why PolicyLink rejected police reform in favor of systems transformation aligned with the demands of this historic moment. Featured Speakers: Michael McAfee, President and CEO, PolicyLink Rachel Herzing, Executive Director, Center for Political Education Anne Price, President, Insight Center for Community Economic Development Anand Subramanian, Managing Director, PolicyLink REGISTER NOW