Black Lives Matter

For Immediate Release

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CALSTART released the following statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement:

“We have arrived at a critical point in our nation’s history. As we acknowledge the pent-up anger, anguish and frustration Black Americans and Americans of color are feeling over the killing of George Floyd, we must not get distracted from the fundamental issue and message of the protests; hundreds of years of institutional and systemic racism.

At its core, CALSTART’s mission is to change transportation for good; and through that, to help improve people’s health and change people’s lives for the better. We work to grow the industry that makes near and zero emission transportation possible – leading to healthy air, good jobs and a protected planet for all.  And we have seen too clearly that people most harmed when transportation and society do not change, most harmed by maintaining business as usual, are those most in pollution’s path: the economically disadvantaged and especially people of color.

Given our very mission is to change transportation for good, we need to acknowledge the times demand we execute our mission with greater speed and effectiveness.  Transportation is increasingly the largest contributor to unhealthy air in our cities and the warming of our planet’s atmosphere.  Business as usual does not truly account for all costs: we are presently subsidizing this failed approach with our peoples’ and planet’s health. And disproportionally, those suffering the most are people of color.

We must shine a light on the fact that institutional racism is not limited to police or legal justice abuses, but more fundamentally to the system of where people live, the work they do, their access to health care and the clean air they breathe.  And given that the lion’s share of that pollution is driven by transportation, we must demand that the time has come to put real commitments behind these issues – strong regulations, real and substantial investments in speeding deployment and transformation to near and zero emissions transportation where they will help most, and metrics for really tracking results. We must do this even in tough times.

We are inspired by the mass protests not only around the country but around the world. We are eager and driven to accelerate our work in advancing clean transportation solutions that will help put an end to the persistent problem of air pollution, and truly help those who have suffered the most and longest from it.

We will expand our actions to work with our members, partners and stakeholders to end institutional racism and its effects we can influence and change. The time for words has passed; we must recognize it with work, and funding, and new rules that truly do treat everyone fairly, fully respecting and appreciating our differences, and providing a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future for all.

Black Lives Matter.”