Gary Epstein, President
The global pandemic news of the past months has seemed incredible – truly unprecedented in modern times. We’ve all been dealing with and addressing the challenges of COVID-19, and it has seemed like nothing would move the virus from the top news spot.
But a week ago another injustice was done against the black community, the police murder of George Floyd. Unfortunately, this situation, unlike the COVID-19 issue, is not at all unprecedented – it just seems to happen again and again and again.
As an organization, ERS generally leans toward progressive attitudes and beliefs. We’ve been working for the past 25 years on approaches to mitigate climate change and address adverse impacts on our environment. But as a progressive organization, it is also important that we notice and react to broader injustices. The slaying of George Floyd and police mistreatment of the black community are, of course, unacceptable. It has been more than 150 years since the end of the American Civil War, yet black Americans are still struggling for basic human rights, opportunities, and economic justice. It’s important that we all stand in solidarity against these injustices and join the voices of those denouncing such abysmal treatment, and in our own ways work to finally bring equality and human rights for all.
We stand together, management and staff, in creating a safe, welcoming environment for all, and racism and discrimination will never be tolerated at ERS. We’re better for and truly need diversity. Let’s act accordingly and move forward to support all.