It’s cliché: politicians make bold promises while they are on the campaign trail, but once they are elected, they make every excuse under the sun for why they can’t, or simply won’t, do the things they said they’d do. Colorado’s current administration is, unfortunately, no different. Gov. Jared Polis was elected and re-elected thanks to the support of BIPOC Coloradans, to whom he made bold promises about swift progress toward environmental justice; movement away from the predatory paradigm to a new reality where our communities truly have the opportunity to thrive. So far, he has fallen woefully short of staying true to his word.

Promises with integrity result in action that makes a tangible difference. Empty promises only heap additional harm onto the exhausted, traumatized communities that have been asking for help for, quite literally, generations.       

As the climate crisis accelerates, our trauma only stands to be compounded, the cumulative impact on our health increased. Meanwhile, Gov. Polis prioritizes the interests of the well-funded oil and gas industry over the stated priorities and needs of disproportionately impacted communities of color. This begs the question: how bad does it have to get, how many of our community members have to suffer the negative impacts on our health, before Gov. Polis lives up to his promises and joins us in our fight?

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An important initial step in the right direction begins with one word: opportunity. For too long, the boards and commissions charged with regulating industries that contribute to polluting our communities have been led and controlled by strong industry allies. Though we recognize the need for industry representation, the voices of community members with lived experience must be front and center in leadership positions on the boards and commissions making decisions that affect our future health and well-being. With his appointment power, Governor Polis can create the opportunities for BIPOC folks from disproportionately impacted communities to become commissioners and board members, especially in positions related to land, air and water.

Environmental justice and community engagement cannot simply be boxes that get checked. Again, promises with integrity lead to tangible results. Boards and commissions play an important role in delivering those results. Not only do they pass rules, they are ultimately responsible for actually enforcing rules. From the beginning of rule-making processes, enforceability and elimination of loopholes that let industries off the hook must be of the utmost importance. It is far past time to move beyond performing commitment to environmental justice to actually demonstrating it.

To make it possible for community members to serve on these boards and commissions, the governor and legislature must look into making some of the most important positions paid, so that working people can afford to serve; membership should not only be for people of means, or for people whose jobs or employers give them the time they need to serve.

Members of the BIPOC community have something that trumps every college degree, high-end career, or affluent opportunity: real, lived experience. BIPOC people have historically dealt with gentrification, land seizures, redlining and systemic disadvantages at every turn, all while living in communities that have lower carbon footprints in spite of the impact they suffer from proximity to industry. Who better to advance the needed paradigm shift toward an equitable world which also respects the biome that allows us all to breathe clean air, drink clean water and have protected green spaces for all our relatives?

Gov. Polis always talks about a “Colorado for all.” To walk the talk, he should give BIPOC Coloradans the opportunity to serve on these boards and commissions with authentic compensation. We are not numbers, not tokens. We are resilient, and ready to meet the challenges and targets that will form a better world for our people.

Miah Ntepp serves as policy advisor and civil rights leader for the Denver NAACP fighting for equity, environmental justice and progress in Colorado. Katara Burrola was born and raised in Greeley by hard-working migrant workers who instilled in her a love for land and community. With a B.S. in ecology, Katara has worked alongside conservation districts and the forest service before switching her focus to Environmental Justice for BIPOC communities. Renée M. Chacon, is Diné/Xicana/ Filipina, and is the co founder and executive director of Womxn from the Mountain for transforming education through justice, art and cultural education as a Sahumadora en Danza Azteca. She works as a cultural educator in several environmental justice initiatives to stop environmental racism in Commerce City with Suncor Sundown. She was co-chair on the equity analysis subcommittee for the Environmental Justice Action Taskforce and is currently Commerce City Council Womxn for Ward 3.