NiaTero - 2020 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 9
LETTER FROM OUR CEO
2020 will be marked as a year of monumental endurance.
and our future. We must remain open-hearted and flexible,
Together, we’ve faced the advent and explosion of a global
and committed to supporting, elevating, and amplifying the
pandemic, and collectively witnessed a
work of Indigenous peoples.
long overdue awakening of mainstream
2020 was a year of organizational
attention to systemic racism, injustice, and
evolution. We adjusted our efforts to make
“WE MUST
the urgency to ensure that community
best use of the resources we had, and could
ACKNOWLEDGE THE
safeguards are not undermined by
provide, to assist our partners through this
economic immediacy. At Nia Tero, the
difficult time. This included shifting our
SEVERITY OF THE
impact has been deeply affecting. Our staff,
support towards more online engagement
ISSUES AND THE WAY
community partners, board members, and
and community-building; not just because
HISTORY IMPACTS OUR
advisors, and every person and community
we didn’t want to add undue risk to
we know, has had to withstand many
vulnerable communities and our team, but
PRESENT.”
struggles, sometimes with tremendous
because we wanted to uphold the work in
Peter Seligmann • CEO of Nia Tero
difficulty. Looking back at this year, we feel
every way possible.
immense gratitude for what we have been
As a team, we learned to virtually nurture
able to accomplish together in solidarity.
and maintain solidarity not just among our
The need to recognize and support the
partners but our board, advisors, and staff
extraordinary work of Indigenous peoples
as well. And we achieved a major milestone,
is more important than ever. The events of
in that nearly 50% of Nia Tero’s board and
pandemics, colonialism, racism, and inequality are not new
staff comprises Indigenous people, representing a diversity
stories—Indigenous peoples throughout the world have
of cultures and communities.
endured these injustices for centuries. In order to engage
This past year, Nia Tero supported a coalition of national
authentic support, we must acknowledge the severity of
and local Indigenous lawyers who made significant history
the issues and the way these histories impact our present,
in Amazonia, presenting several cases in federal courts to
NIA TERO - THRIVING PEOPLES. THRIVING PLACES.
NOTES FROM LEADERSHIP
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