As Ben O’Keefe, former senior aide to Senator Elizabeth Warren explained it, as quoted in the Vox article, How to be a good white ally, according to activists,“It’s really important...to learn about the systems of oppression that exist and how you’re complicit in them, and then, again, remember that it’s not our job to educate you. It’s not hard to educate yourself. You can literally google it.”
Examining privilege is also a theme, and rightly so. O’Keefe elaborates on the need to acknowledge and utilize our privilege, saying, “We don’t need you to carry the burden of your privilege. We need you to acknowledge it and to use your privilege to promote good and to fight oppression.”
Leslie Mac, an activist and community organizer, asserts the importance of “Giving your time, talent, and treasure to black-led organizations and black leaders that are doing front-line work in your area.” Mac further asserts that effective white allyship “should always center the voices and causes of black, indigenous, and people of color, both online and in their local communities, and amplify their stories and their demands to speak out.”
While I am continuing to work toward being an effective, educated ally in a multitude of aspects in my life, I wanted to use my platform on this blog, however paltry my readership may be, to educate myself and to use my voice and my privilege to highlight and recognize the important and often overlooked contribution of black individuals and people of color to the environmental movement.
Below I have highlighted the work of five environmentalists and provided additional resources and further reading on important leaders in the environmental movement, both historically and today:
1.Reverend Lennox Yearwood Junior
In his activism, Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. epitomizes the intersectionality of environmental and social justice issues. Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. is the president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, a minister, and community activist. His campaigns and movements like the ”One World, One Voice” campaign, encourage young people to work to solve climate change. His "Green and City" campaign has engaged black mayors in the movement to green their cities. He currently serves as President of the Hip Hop Caucus, a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers young people to participate in elections, policymaking and service projects. You can read his Earth Day essay, A World Worth Fighting For, published in the Sierra Club Magazine, here, which highlights the urgency of engaging frontline communities to create a diverse and inclusive environmental movement.
2. Rue MappRue Mapp founded Outdoor Afro in 2009. She is currently the CEO of the national non-profit organization, which has become the nation’s leading, cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. Outdoor Afro addresses the ongoing need for greater diversity in the outdoors.
Learn more about Mapp’s motivation in founding the organization by checking out this NPR story on the organization. And check out the Outdoor Afro website for events and ways to get involved.
3. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule
As proud Detroit natives, Lindsey and Paule founded Detroit Hives, a non-profit that seeks to create sustainable communities and bee populations by transforming vacant lots into pollinator-friendly spaces. Check out detroithives.org to learn more or to donate!
4. John C. Robinson
John C. Robinson is a biologist, environmental advocate, and author. He has worked for the US Department of Agriculture and the US Fish & Wildlife Service and has served on the board of directors for the American Birding Association. A significant part of his advocacy work is focused on making minorities, in particular minority youth and young adults, more engaged with the environment through bird watching. His 2008 book Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers further explores this topic, and is undoubtedly worth a read.
5. Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai was a renowned social, environmental, and political activist in Kenya. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization that empowers communities, particularly women, to conserve the environment and improve livelihoods by growing seedlings and planting trees to bind the soil, store rainwater, and provide food and firewood. Maathai has authored four books and is the subject of the feature documentary film, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai.You can learn more about Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement by visiting their website where you can also stay up to date with news and events and learn how you can get involved and support their work.
Here at Greener Living, I have somewhat whimsically and sporadically pursued my passion for environmentalism by seeking to eliminate sources of waste in my everyday life. And, in doing so, while I have encountered challenges, the color of my skin was never one of the things that made my pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle difficult. This, however, is not the case for environmentalists who do not benefit from a problematic legacy of white supremacy.
Because environmental and social justice issues are often interrelated (see this Eco Watch article on Black Environmentalism for more on the interconnectedness of discriminatory practices and the concentration of environmental injustices and subsequent socioeconomic, pollution, and healthcare disparities which disproportionately impact black communities), it is not only important, but is necessary, to approach environmentalism in conjunction with social justice activism.
Although I have highlighted only a few noteworthy black environmental activists, I urge you to take the time to learn about and appreciate the contributions of countless other individuals who have contributed and are continuing to contribute in significant ways to the protection of our planet and the continuing work toward a just, equitable, and sustainable future.
Some additional resources include:
- San Francisco Department of the Environment’s list of featured black environmentalists
- Melissa Petersen’s blog highlighting the work and legacy of 28 Black Environmentalists
- Greenpeace’s 8 Black Environmentalists You Need to Know
In addition to continuing to support social justice organizations and donating to bail funds, ACLU, Unicorn Riot, and other deserving non-profits / organizations, please also consider supporting, via donations and other means, these environmental enterprises. You can donate directly to Detroit Hives, Outdoor Afro, The Green Belt Movement, or the newly relaunched National Black Environmental Justice Network.
Consume the films and books created by/about these important black environmental leaders.
Furthermore, please use your platform, voice, privilege, or vote to demand environmental equity and the mitigation, reparation, and prevention of past, present, and future environmentally degrading policies, projects, and injustices which disproportionately impact communities of color. This can be done by signing petitions and contacting elected officials to make your opinion heard.
As explained by black environmentalists in the New York Times article, Black Environmentalists Talk About Climate and Anti-Racism, “It’s impossible to live sustainably without tackling inequality.”
Because this is true, an important step on our journey toward greener living, not to mention the simply moral/ethical thing to do, is to work to combat inequality. Black lives matter, in all facets of an equitable world, including within the realm of environmentalism.
Are there black activists and environmental leaders doing amazing work that weren’t mentioned in this post, but deserve to be recognized? (Of course there are!) Please share in the comments section below. Additionally, if there are organizations you recommend donating to or resources you find to be particularly helpful, please share those as well!
Best of luck on your journey toward greener living.
~Sam
