Statement by AMC President and CEO John D. Judge
AMC denounces the actions taken on Wednesday by a hate-filled mob in Washington D.C. This should have been a day of hope, progress, and celebration following the election of Georgia’s first Black and Jewish Senators and the certification of a new president. Instead, we witnessed an egregious display of white supremacy.
The terrorist attack on our nation’s capital will now be the new ‘day that lives in infamy.’ Watching the events unfold, it quickly became clear this was not a simple protest, but a planned attack against our democracy executed by radical Trump supporters and white supremacists, with co-conspirators from the highest levels of elected officials.
The world witnessed 400 years of systemic racism on full display. The assault magnified white privilege and racial inequity. When peaceful protestors gathered in D.C. to support Black Lives Matter in June, the National Guard was deployed. But on Wednesday, rioters already breached the Capitol before the National Guard was even deployed. The hypocrisy of this moment cannot be ignored. Had these rioters been black they would have been met with force, or worse.
As the House of Representatives and Senate are left to investigate and determine how to protect our nation, my first concern is for the physical and emotional well-being of AMC’s many staff, volunteers, members, and the broader community. Witnessing this violence can have a profound impact on you and your families. We must double our efforts to combat discrimination and hatred and leverage our mission and resources for a better world.
It is our hope that alongside the new administration we can usher in strategic initiatives to achieve greater conservation, access, inclusion, and safety, and achieve our vision of an outdoors where all are welcomed.”
Why We Are AMC
Here’s What we do at AMC
Organized in 1904 and incorporated in 1912, the New York-North Jersey Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) (itself founded in 1876) was the AMC’s first chapter. Through its 150+ volunteer activity leaders, the NY-No. Jersey chapter of the AMC organizes over 2,000 outdoor recreation activities and programs each year: hiking and backpacking and canoe/kayak and softball and birding and sailing and bicycling and mountain climbing and bouldering and skiing and sociables and yoga/meditation retreat weekends. Leadership training; Wilderness First Aid. Winter Mountaineering School. Mountain Leadership School. And more. The Chapter’s geographic region includes New York City, Southeastern New York, including Long Island, and Northeastern New Jersey. Whatever your outdoor interests are, we have something for you!
The Appalachian Mountain Club and its 100,000 members consider ourselves the ‘stewards of the forests and rivers of the Northeast’. We promote the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region, and believe these resources have intrinsic worth and provide recreational opportunities, spiritual renewal, and ecological and economic health for the region.
Join us and become a part of the most diverse conservation and outdoor recreation organization in the United States.
Join AMC Today!