Racial Justice
Working to combat and dismantle systemic racism to ensure equal rights and treatment are afforded to all Vermonters.
Systemic racism permeates the United States. Vermont is no exception. To build a state free of systemic racism where justice is afforded to all, equally, Vermont must reckon with the ways in which it perpetuates racial injustice – and dismantle those policies, putting antiracist ones in their place.
VPIRG is committed to advocating for policy that advances the cause of racial equity in a wide array of policy spaces. To do so, we will support the work and leadership of the groups and individuals who are at the forefront of this fight for justice in Vermont – in particular Black and other BIPOC Vermonters.
The public interest is threatened by all forms of injustice, and the fight for justice calls for all our voices. By working alongside our allies to dismantle a system that marginalizes, discriminates and promotes violence against people based on the color of their skin, VPIRG is supports initiatives that establish equitable treatment for all, allow us to reckon with Vermont’s past – and present – perpetuation of systemic racism, and ultimately build a community free from systemic racism.
Organizations in Vermont that have been doing the work of advancing racial justice:
- ACLU of Vermont
- Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV)
- Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington
- Central Vermont Showing Up for Racial Justice
- Champlain Area NAACP
- Justice for All
- Migrant Justice (Justicia Migrante)
- Peace and Justice Center
- Rise Upper Valley
- The Root Social Justice Center
- Rutland Area NAACP
- Show Up for Racial Justice Middlebury
- Vermont Racial Justice Alliance
- Windham County Vermont NAACP
Recent Racial Justice News
Community Leaders Hail Enactment of VT’s First Environmental Justice Law
Will address environmental harms disproportionately affecting many communities A diverse coalition of environmental justice leaders…
Don’t Let Gov. Scott Sink the Environmental Justice Bill
We recently heard that Governor Phil Scott is considering vetoing the environmental justice bill, S.148, which…
S.148 is Headed to the Governor’s Desk!
S.148, the environmental justice bill, is headed to the governor’s desk! After initially passing out…
Community Leaders & Lawmakers Call for Passage of Environmental Justice Bill
Today, community leaders and legislators gathered in Montpelier to call for passage of the state’s…
VT Senate advances environmental justice
The State Senate just took a major step towards environmental justice (EJ) in Vermont. S.148,…
33 groups support EJ bill
VPIRG organized 32 groups — including organizations working to end poverty, promote racial and social…