News

Silent Spring Institute stands in solidarity

June 4, 2020

Nothing will diminish the grief and anguish I share with you over the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless injustices faced by Black people in this country. All of us at Silent Spring join in solidarity with those protesting against the institutions and systems that allow these injustices to persist.

We all have a role to play in bringing about change—not only in raising our voices, but also in translating our words into action. As a scientific research organization, we have a particular role. By partnering with environmental justice groups to document racial disparities in exposures to pollutants, we influence the social, economic, and political factors that have brought us to this day.

The tragic truth is that people of color are burdened with higher exposures to environmental contaminants than the rest of the population. They also face higher rates of illnesses associated with hazardous chemicals. This must change.

That’s why we expanded Silent Spring’s Household Exposure Study to include public housing in Boston, Cincinnati, and New Orleans and that’s why we focused our consumer product research on beauty and cleaning products marketed at Black and Latina women in Los Angeles. And we will continue to listen to and support communities of color, working side by side to bring about justice.

We can do more.

So today I give you my promise that we are re-doubling our commitment to environmental justice, and to inclusion within our organization and in our partnerships. We will look for every opportunity to focus our research on uncovering and eliminating racial and economic disparities in toxic exposures. Together, we must build a better future.

Thank you for joining us in this morally imperative work,

Julia Brody, PhD
Executive Director and Senior Scientist
Silent Spring Institute