Pittsburgh, Pa. – originally posted on June 11, 2020 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy supports the pivotal movement calling for racial and social justice. We stand with the many people in our region and across the country, particularly in the black community, opposing racism, bias and oppression of all kinds.
Our work benefits everyone and the public places we conserve are for all to enjoy in a setting of safety, security and equity. But beyond that, the current movement leads us, in the conservation and museum communities, to ask ourselves what steps we can take to more actively oppose and work to end racism. While our diversity and inclusion efforts are ongoing, that is the question we will be exploring and addressing over coming months.
The Conservancy is committed to diversity, inclusion and equity. We join others in the conservation and museum communities calling for change and that the time is long past due for racial justice. We are still learning and listening, and will continue to challenge ourselves to learn and do more. Racial justice is essential and a human right, and we all have a role in this movement.
Thomas D. Saunders
President and CEO
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 132 community gardens and other green spaces that are planted with the help of more than 11,000 volunteers. The work of WPC is accomplished through the support of more than 9,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.