The Sierra Club is acknowledging its early history is rooted in white supremacy.
In a post on the organization’s website, executive director Michael Brune opened up about the troubling past of its founder John Muir.
“As defenders of Black life pull down Confederate monuments across the country, we must also take this moment to reexamine our past and our substantial role in perpetuating white supremacy,” Brune said.
“The most monumental figure in the Sierra Club’s past is John Muir. Beloved by many of our members, his writings taught generations of people to see the sacredness of nature.
“[Muir] made derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful racist stereotypes, though his views evolved later in his life. As the most iconic figure in Sierra Club history, Muir’s words and actions carry an especially heavy weight. They continue to hurt and alienate Indigenous people and people of color who come into contact with the Sierra Club.”
Brune also noted that in the early years of the 128-year-old organization, membership could only be granted through sponsorships from existing members — some of whom screened out applicants of color.
He offered an apology for the organization’s actions and said the Sierra Club is hoping to spend $5 million over the next year to “make long-overdue investments in our staff of color and our environmental and racial justice work.”
And in a Wednesday tweet, the Sierra Club said: “We’re committed to reckoning with our history, repairing harm we have caused & transforming from the inside out to rebuild the future…”