DEMANDS TO HISTORIC CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF NEW YORK CITY

 

In Spike Lee’s seminal film “Do The Right Thing,” Sal, the owner of the beloved Brooklyn pizza shop of the same name sells pizza in his multi-racial neighborhood, while also offering his shop as a stage where neighbors’ daily lives freely play out. His shop is a refuge for personal and communal growth: a home away from home, a school away from school. As a business owner, he does not have to do this, but as a human being and community member, he simply knows no other way. 

You, dear museums and cultural institutions, are Sal’s pizza shop. Your duties go beyond mere preservation of heritage. You have a duty to educate and empower the public, at a time when our elected leaders and media consistently fail to do so. 

Current CO2 levels are nearly double those of the pre-industrial era. The World Meteorological Association predicts that we'll overshoot 1.5 degrees of warming before this decade is out. Over one third of Earth's animal and plant species are on track to go extinct by 2050. Our governments are unwilling to even speak about these facts; the media is unwilling to hold them accountable; and the broader public is increasingly enraged by these omissions. Where is all this anger and energy going to go?

We believe it can and should be channeled for good, into the creation of People’s Assemblies, where an inclusive and broad cross-section of the city’s population comes together, listens to climate experts, and then democratically determines a path toward carbon net zero and environmental healing. As the year turns, we are asking you to help us promote and establish such assemblies, to inform and engage the public on the defining issue of our time: the climate and ecological crisis.

“Museums should be open for the imaginative. Why not?” filmmaker Werner Herzog once said in an interview. “No museums on a dead planet!” is a climate justice rallying cry. It poses the philosophical question implicit in this threat to our collective survival: With the whole world at risk, what is any of this even for? Why do we have exhibitions at all, and why do we have museums?

As we move into winter, we call on you to respond to these questions by resetting your priorities, committing to holding People’s Assemblies, and helping Extinction Rebellion, and everyone, to do the right thing.

Love,

XR NYC

About Extinction Rebellion

There’s almost no time left to address the climate and ecological crisis, including the sixth mass extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Scientists and other credible sources believe that social collapse and mass death are inevitable if rapid action is not taken. Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.

Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:

  • Tell the Truth - Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

  • Act Now - Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

  • Beyond Politics - Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

  • Just Transition - Government must commit to a just transition in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.

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Mun XR