HEALThy communities for all: why pinnacle prevention takes a stand against racism

Pinnacle Prevention is a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing healthy families and communities. ​Our mission is to inspire and ​advance a healthy food system and opportunities for active living to all people. When we say all people – we mean all people. Our mission and purpose are fundamentally tied to equity, and this is why we stand against racism, and the violence and injustices faced by black and brown communities. Black lives matter.
 
To fulfill our mission, we are committed to ensuring that our policies, systems, and environments help achieve a healthier future for all Arizonans. This starts by addressing the racial injustices and social inequities felt by communities of color that are reinforced year after year through a system that is not currently addressing the roots causes of these problems. All of our work to make healthy communities a reality means nothing if black and brown people are made to live in fear for their lives. We want kids to be able to move and play outside, but this cannot be done if a black mother is afraid for her black son to go out to play at the local park. We want families to have access to healthy foods, but this can’t be done if a black family has to travel miles out of their way to buy fresh produce – and fears for their life on that journey to find food. The trauma of racism has run deep for centuries – deeply systematic and deeply personal.
 
We hear and see your hurt, anger, fear, and grief resulting from the long history of white supremacy. Outrage against the system, in this case police brutality, is necessary to achieve social transformation. Our Pinnacle Prevention team is dedicated to doing the work of social justice, during and after this news cycle, and we also acknowledge that this work is ongoing for us internally. We recognize that we are an organization that is predominately white, but through our privilege there is an opportunity to move beyond just being sympathetic but taking actions to make change. We stand with communities of color by channeling our energy and actions into tackling systemic racism so that we truly can help grow healthy families and communities for all people.
 
Want to take action? Donate to these amazing black and brown led organizations working on food and health justice here in Arizona:

• Drinking Gourd Farms: http://drinkinggourdfarms.com/
• Tiger Mountain Foundation: https://tigermountainfoundation.org/non-profit-community-garden
• Spaces of Opportunity: https://dbg.org/community/spaces-of-opportunity/
• Iskashitaa Refugee Network: https://www.iskashitaa.org/
• Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA): https://luchaaz.org/

 
We invite our colleagues working within the food system and built environment system to discuss privilege and work through this with us. The conversation won’t end with the news cycle.

Sincerely,
The Pinnacle Prevention Team