A Statement from Lisa Daniels, Executive Director and Windustry Board of Directors

In her article, ‘The pandemic is a portal’, the Indian scholar Arundhati Roy writes:

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

We are seeing signs of change in the U.S. on a daily basis. From the pandemic, we have new ways in which we work, shop, engage with people in our community, and attend school or church. Integral in the pandemic changes we are witnessing, is the social unrest resulting from the horrific murder of George Floyd in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers. This catalyst has touched off a global movement for change and a storm of conversations, considerations, individual and collective actions that we hope continue to identify and acknowledge the prejudices and systemic racism in all aspects of our society.  Windustry intends to be a part of this transformation.

Windustry has been part of a large community of advocates working toward a clean energy transition for more than 25 years. We have a long history of working with rural landowners, farmers, ranchers and rural towns. In 2019, Windustry staff and Board did a deep look at our vision and committed to a major shift in how we accomplish our mission. We have been working for the past year to re-focus our work towards an equitable clean energy transition. We are aiming to develop inclusive programs for workforce connections, skills training, K-12 education and community outreach. Tied in with this work we are helping to launch a new native-led organization Native Sun Community Power Development. (website www.nativesun.org is under construction)

As we go forward, Windustry is committed to change and working to transform our social structures and energy systems to a system that works for everyone including black, indigenous, and people of color.  Our core work will be focused on expanding STEM education and career opportunities in the sustainable energy pathways and access to clean energy for indigenous communities. 

“In a racist society, it is not enough to be nonracist—we must be anti-racist.”
Angela Davis, 1979

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”
Ijeoma Oluo