An Open Letter

An open letter to the MOSS community 

Dear MOSS family,

We mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Their deaths have shaken an already fragile world, and yet, it pains us to note that they are but the latest in a pattern of violence against black bodies. Our brothers and sisters of color have lived for centuries in a world where systemic racism and white supremacy are their daily lived experience.

We cannot be complicit in silence. The MOSS family stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and people of color against systemic racism, white supremacy and the countless injustices that have taken place in recent days, and for hundreds of years. Black lives matter.

Our mission at MOSS is to transform individuals and communities through innovative research and educational experiences. We envision vibrant, equitable, diverse and inclusive communities, empowered to ask difficult questions and transform ways of thinking, to collaboratively and compassionately sustain social and ecological systems that provide for all of us.

In our programs, we emphasize that our relationships to the Land and to each other are interdependent. Our collective wellbeing is completely intertwined with the wellbeing of those around us. I’ve been re-reading our mission and vision, and reflecting on the fact that in order to sustain systems that provide for all of us, we need to call out the ways in which our systems do not currently provide for all of us. In fact, they continue to underserve, oppress, and do harm to people of color. Until we can collectively name, call out and undo the oppression heaped upon the BIPOC community, we are all not well.

As a white leader of a predominantly white organization in a predominantly white field, I recognize the privilege I have, and the responsibility to use that privilege to work towards undoing systems of oppression. I encourage all of us to ask difficult questions about the ways that we need to transform our own thinking, to confront our own racism, and to bring compassion to the uncomfortable work needed to create a more equitable world. What can you do today to work towards equity and justice? Our collective wellbeing depends on how we answer this question.

As an organization, we recognize that we can do more. We’re taking action in a few ways. We’re committed to adopting actively anti-racist education for our staff, faculty and students. We are working to transform our K12 curriculum to more actively ask difficult questions about the wellbeing of our social and ecological communities; to make space for diverse ways of knowing and being; to address social and environmental injustice; to help students build the skills necessary to make change. As a leader, I am committed to elevating diverse perspectives and voices, and to asking hard questions of myself and our team.

To the people in our family who have been hurt by racism: we see your pain and we are here to listen.
To the folks in our family who want to learn more: I encourage you to do your homework, then join the conversation about anti-racism; to sit with the necessary discomfort; to listen to those who are expressing their pain and hold space for them; and to risk doing the work imperfectly rather than avoiding it out of a fear of mistakes.

For those searching for “what to do”, here are a few resources that might be useful:

To highlight those doing this hard work already, check out these links:

Sent to all of you with much love and respect,
From Karla Eitel, Director, University of Idaho McCall Field Campus and Outdoor Science School.

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