To the MBA Community:

The Energy Club at Ross wants to state unequivocally that Black Lives Matter. We stand with BBSA and the broader Black Lives Matter movement demanding much-needed reform, and express our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have suffered as a result of police brutality and hate crimes, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others.

The Energy Club at Ross recognizes that racism and injustice exist all around us. We support BBSA's Call to Action, and in response to their ask that "Michigan Ross professional club leaders should incorporate a racial justice lens into relevant club education curriculum," we are committing ourselves to the following items:

1. Featuring panels at recruiting events, educational sessions, and conference events that reflect the diversity of the Ross Community;
2. Training our board members and equipping them with a toolkit to ensure our programming incorporates a racial justice lens; and
3. Creating a resource repository around racial injustice and how it manifests in the energy sector, to be shared through our club website.

Additionally, as future leaders in the energy industry, we believe it is imperative that we recognize and educate our club members about the ways that racism is manifested in the energy sector, which is part of a concept known as environmental racism. Environmental racism is exhibited in many ways, from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to the Flint Water Crisis here in Michigan, to the exposure of hazardous pollution from burning fossil fuels that disproportionately impact communities of color.

A focus on energy justice is necessary to fight environmental racism. Energy justice is comprised of (1) understanding how the hazards and burdens of energy systems disproportionately affect communities of color; (2) understanding how access to modern energy services is highly uneven; and (3) pushing for decision-making on energy policies that are just and democratic. As such, we are committing ourselves to the following items:

1. Conducting educational sessions with professors and industry professionals to discuss the topic of energy justice, starting with an event to take place during our inaugural Energy Week;
2. Donating to organizations focused on energy justice, starting with the Climate Justice Alliance;
3. Reaching out to energy clubs at business schools across the country to develop a coalition of schools to discuss and collaborate on combating the complexities of environmental racism and energy industry diversity disparities; and
4. Creating partnerships with local organizations committed to energy justice for our Fall consulting projects.

We are motivated to do our part in the fight against racial and energy injustice. For a broader overview of energy justice and environmental racism,we have provided a list of additional resources below as well.

-Your Energy Club at Ross Board