February is Black History Month, a nationwide celebration lifting up the significant roles Black Americans have had in shaping U.S. history. In honor of Black History Month, Sound Rivers will be sharing weekly opportunities to learn more about how community activists have shaped environmental justice in eastern North Carolina — including right here at home, at Sound Rivers. View last week’s Black History Month post here.

“At Sound Rivers, our work is rooted in the firm belief that access to clean water is a basic human right, the natural world should be accessible for all, and people should have a voice in decisions that affect their environment and health. No group of people should disproportionately bear the burden of pollution; unfortunately, for people of color in our country, and specifically our region, this is still the unjust reality,” said Sound Rivers Executive Director Heather Deck.

Sound Rivers Values
Sound Rivers is committed to the goal of environmental justice and equity for all people in our watershed. We are a stronger organization and our work to protect our waters is more successful when our organization represents the full diversity of people living within our watersheds. We recognize the benefits and impact of diverse leadership, building of trust in impacted communities, and programs that are inclusive to ensure we serve the needs of all those communities within the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River basins.

We believe all people should have access to enjoyment of the natural world and a powerful voice in decisions that may affect their environment and health. No group of people should bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences, nor should they have less access to beneficial environmental goods.

We acknowledge that historically Sound Rivers has been a predominantly white organization. While we are working to change that, we are committed to ongoing activities focused on learning, reflection, adaptation and intentional and focused outreach to diverse communities to ensure our work reflects, respects, engages and includes communities of color.