{"id":630,"date":"2021-10-07T20:58:09","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T19:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/?p=630"},"modified":"2021-10-07T20:58:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T19:58:09","slug":"celebrating-black-environmentalists-blackhistorymonth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/2021\/10\/07\/celebrating-black-environmentalists-blackhistorymonth\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Black Environmentalists #BlackHistoryMonth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sustainability<\/span>\u00a0has always been based off of equity. Equity for the planet and people. Without social equality and justice we cannot have environmental\u00a0sustainability<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0sustainability<\/span>\/environmental movement must be more vocal against systemic racial violence, injustice and inequalities, committing to listen, learn and take action. It is also a time to reflect on issues within the\u00a0sustainability<\/span>\u00a0community.<\/p>\n

We know that those most affected by climate change are the poorest and tend to be from the Global South and black and minority ethnic communities, so why does the environmentalist movement lack diversity?<\/p>\n

These conversations can be uncomfortable, but we should feel uncomfortable about the current situation. As people who care about the world we live in, we should be actively engaging with this issues and seeking to dismantle the systems that have led to such injustice and inequality for our fellow humans and the environment we rely on.<\/p>\n

To mark Black History Month we wanted to share the voices of black environmentalists and celebrate their work. In all the work we do we will continue to seek out more representative voices and sources to provide a fuller picture of delivering sustainability globally.<\/p>\n

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson – marine biologist and conservation strategists, founder of Ocean Collectiv and is an adjunct professor at New York University<\/h3>\n

\"\"
\n“Here is an incomplete list of things I left unfinished last week because America\u2019s boiling racism and militarization are deadly for black people: a policy memo to members of Congress on accelerating offshore wind energy development in U.S. waters; the introduction to my book on climate solutions; a presentation for a powerful corporation on how technology can advance ocean-climate solutions; a grant proposal to fund a network of women climate leaders; a fact check of a big-budget film script about ocean-climate themes, planting vegetables with my mother in our\u00a0climate victory garden.”<\/em>
\nRead Ayana\u2019s piece for the Washington Post on how racism is derailing environmental action here – https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2020\/06\/03\/im-black-climate-scientist-racism-derails-our-efforts-save-planet\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Dr Robert Bullard – described as the father of environmental justice, he is a Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environment Policy at Texas Southern University.<\/h3>\n

\"\"
\n“America is segregated and so is pollution. Race and class still matter and map closely with pollution, unequal protection, and vulnerability.\u00a0 Today, zip code is still the most potent predictor of an individual\u2019s health and well-being.\u00a0 Individuals who physically live on the \u201cwrong side of the tracks\u201d are subjected to elevated environmental health threats and more than their fair share of preventable diseases. Still, too many people and communities have the \u201cwrong complexion for protection.\u201d Reducing environmental, health, economic and racial disparities is a major priority of the Environmental Justice Movement.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more about Robert and his work at\u00a0https:\/\/drrobertbullard.com\/<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Leah Namugerwa \u2013 15 year old climate change activist and Fridays for Future striker<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cToday I was moving door to door distributing food I found these children very tired with jerrycans full of water on their heads. They walk two kms to fetch water. They barely have food. I followed them to their home and donated 15kgs of maize flour. They were happy.\u201d<\/em>
\nRead more about Leah here\u00a0https:\/\/therising.co\/2020\/01\/02\/leah-namugerwa-climate-activism\/<\/a>\u00a0and follow her on twitter\u00a0@NamugerwaLeah<\/a><\/p>\n

\nWangari Maathai\u00a0 (1940 \u2013 2011) \u2013 author of \u201cUnbowed\u201d Professor Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contributions to sustainable development and peace. She founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya.<\/h3>\n

\"\"
\n\u201cEducation, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instill in them even more respect for it, because educated people are in a position to understand what is being lost. The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. As I told the foresters, and the women, you don\u2019t need a diploma to plant a tree.\u201d<\/em>
\nFind out more about Wangari\u2019s work and legacy here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.greenbeltmovement.org\/wangari-maathai<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Zakiya McKenzie – PhD candidate with the Leverhulme Trust-supported Caribbean Literary Heritage project\u00a0at the University of Exeter researching Black British journalism in the post-war period. Zakiya is a writer and storyteller and was the\u00a02019 writer-in-residence for Forestry England\u00a0during its centenary year. In Bristol, she was\u00a02017 Black and Green Ambassador<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“By choosing me for the role, Forestry England have explicitly shown that they are committed to hearing and sharing marginalised voices<\/em>.\u00a0By extending the pen and platform to me they have actively validated my voice to the nature and nature writing public. It’s easy for people to think I’ve got here just because I’m black, that’s fine for now but, holla at me when you’ve actually read what I produce and say that with a straight face. The ‘sharing’ is really important here; Forestry England have a huge operation and are an authority on British nature.”<\/em><\/div>\n
\nRead her beautiful poems for the Forestry Commission here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.forestryengland.uk\/zakiya-mckenzie<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Oladosu Adenike – Ecofeminist and leading Nigerian Climate Activist who heads the \u201cILeadClimate\u201d movement for peace, security and equality in Africa<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Africa, climate change is no longer a threat but a reality. Invariably climate change is now a global reality. I\u2019m not only worried about the future but the present because any action we take will bind us all. The hope therein is that the climate movement has the face of young people because the youth are tomorrow\u2019s adults. Remarkably, women and girls are at the forefront of the fight for climate justice.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more from her speech during Ecocide, a performance art event in Stuttgart, Germany here: https:\/\/www.environewsnigeria.com\/climate-change-nowhere-is-safe-if-africa-isnt-adenike-oladosu-warns\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sustainability\u00a0has always been based off of equity. Equity for the planet and people. Without social equality and justice we cannot have environmental\u00a0sustainability. The\u00a0sustainability\/environmental movement must be more vocal against systemic racial violence, injustice and inequalities, committing to listen, learn and take action. It is also a time to reflect on issues within the\u00a0sustainability\u00a0community. We know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":637,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions\/637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sustainkent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}