Legado has spent much of the past three weeks since the egregious murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, reflecting on how we can help dismantle systemic racism and inequity.

As an organization operating in the last mile, hand-in-hand with individual members of communities that have traditionally been excluded, combating bias has always been one of our priorities. But we learn more every day about the abuses inherent in the societal systems we take for granted, and it’s clear we need to do more.

Dismantling broken systems takes both individual responsibility and institutional change. In our ongoing work in Mozambique and around the world, the Legado team, the Board and I are committing ourselves to being actively anti-racist and to examining our work, our hiring practices, and our policies with this in mind.

As climate expert Ayana Johnson writes, it is unflinchingly clear that “our racial inequality crisis is intertwined with our climate crisis.” We simply can’t achieve our goal of conserving the planet if we don’t also commit to racial justice. As Legado continues its work here in the United States, in the remote mountainside communities in Mozambique, and around the world, we pledge to also hold ourselves accountable for our obligation to foster equality for all the people we serve.

Finally, we believe it is important that Legado reflect the values held by its supporters. If you ever have any questions about our continued commitment to address racial injustice and systemic bias, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.

In solidarity and with hope for the future,

Majka

Founder and Executive Director