CELI Stands for Black Lives

CELI Stands for Black Lives

By Liz Ramsay Dalton, Executive Director, The Clean Energy Leadership Institute

On behalf of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), I am stating unequivocally that Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity against the devastating racial injustices that continue to be inflicted upon Black people in our country. From Washington, DC, Oakland, and Chicago, to cities across the country, CELI supports the Black community and the right to protest against all forms of violence, hatred, and racism. This “moment” in time has been 400 years of institutional racism and systemic oppression, hate, and violence in the making. Time and again our Black community has said ENOUGH -- and it has continuously fallen on deaf ears. So, like many of you, I’m asking -- when is enough, enough? And where do we go from here?

For CELI, that means a moment of deep reflection. Our good intentions in driving diversity in the energy ecosystem -- not good enough. Our well-meaning approaches to building inclusivity in our community -- not meaningful enough. Our stated vision for an equitable, decarbonized, resilient energy future? Not actionable enough. The first step in making any impactful change is realizing, and acknowledging, our own contributions to the problem. I am grateful to be part of a community that calls out our shortcomings and actively volunteers recommendations to do better. It is open dialogue, tough conversations, and, frankly, protests that will hold us not just accountable, but actionable moving forward. 

As I was just reminded by a colleague yesterday, the best thing we can do right now is to listen -- I am deeply committed to doing this personally and on behalf of CELI as an organization. We will listen to learn, and learn to take action. We will amplify the voices of our Black colleagues and work alongside them to bring forward anti-racism in the clean energy industry and our broader community. 

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. These are not just names on a tragically long and rapidly growing list. These are precious lives lost, never to return. My hope is that we can stop these enduring tragedies through an immediate call to action to create change in our own hearts, in our own homes, and in our broader community. The CELI team has been crowd-sourcing a public list of resources for anyone who is ready to listen, learn, and take action with us. From the clean energy transition to the climate crisis - there is no place for racism, or complacency, in our environmental movement. If your organization has not yet committed to taking action, I urge you to take this critical first step. 

There are more changes to come for CELI, but for now, we stand with the Black community.