Environmentalists Support Black Lives Matters

Sparked by the recent passing of George Floyd under the hands of police brutality, there has been outreach of support from environmental activists to the black lives movement. As a part of the environmental movement, climate justice is undeniably linked to the oppression of our brothers and sisters all over the globe. It is important to address racial oppression because it happens to our friends, family and community. All environmentalists MUST stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and POC communities and the black lives matter movement.

We must not forget that the people that are most affected by environmental problems are the least privileged. It is the globally poorer nations that don’t have infrastructure to protect themselves against natural disasters and yet are often hit the hardest by climate change. Even looking at the United States, families in poverty are hit harder than white people. Poor black and brown communities have a harder time accessing clean water, air and nature; they are also statistically proven to be more exposed to environmental hazards, toxic waste, landfills and highways. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the number of deaths in Black, Indigenous and POC communities versus white people during the pandemic.

Intersectionality is a MUST if you call yourself an environmental activist. We need to understand that environmental issues affect everyone all over the world and needs to address its identity spectrum as best as possible. This identity spectrum covers race, class, gender, body type, sexual orientation and etc, that are all overlapping aspects of how someone may be discriminated against. If intersectionality is not incorporated in environmental activism, it will sadly only benefit the privileged.

According to @greengirlleah on instagram, she explains intersectional environmentalism as:

“An inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality. Intersectional environmentalism advocates for justice for people and the planet”.

Pledge to intersectional environmentalism to create positive, social change. Commit to the following statements:

I will stand in solidarity with Back, Indigenous and POC communities and The Planet
I will not ignore the intersections of environmentalism and social justice
I will use my privilege to advocate for black and brown loves in spaces where the message is often silenced
I will proactively do the work to learn about the environmental and social injustices Black, Indigenous and POC communities face without minimizing
I will respect the boundaries of BIPOC friends and activists and not demand they perform emotional labor or do the work for me
I will share my learnings with other environmentalists and my community
I will amplify the messages of Black, Indigenous and POC activists and environmental leaders
I will not remain silent during pivotal political and cultural moments that impact BIPOC communities

To support the Black Lives Matter donate to the following organizations:

Minnesota Freedom Fund - a community-based nonprofit pays for bailouts for the pretrial freedom of those arrested in Minnesota while protesting police brutality

George Memorial Fund- the official George Floyd Memorial; Fund on GoFundMe to “cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, ledging and travel of all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George”.

Black Visions Collective- a balck, trans, queer-led organization that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence, and shifts the public narrative to create transformative, long-term change

Reclaim the Block- a coalition that advocates for and invests in community-led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods

Campaign Zero- a online platform that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America

Unicorn Riot- a non-profit organization that is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues

Run With Maud- fundraiser designed to assist Ahmaud's mother; Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones and her immediate family with financial support during this extreme difficult time and in their struggle for justice for the murder of Ahmaud Marquez Arbery.

⁣

Be Anti-Racist:

It is important that when we see injustices, we step in and make a difference. We need to take the initiative to educate ourselves and to make a positive difference. We cannot just “not be racist” instead we need to be actively unracist. The following are ways you can start to learn, change and do better.

Books:

Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge⁣
Brit-ish - Afua Hirsch ⁣

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change The World and Become a Great Ancestor- Layla Saad⁣
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin Diangelo ⁣and Michael Eric Dyson
How To Be An Antiracist - Ibrahim X. Kendi⁣
Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment- Patricia Hill Collins
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower- Dr. Brittney Cooper
Heavy: An American Memoir- Kiese Laymon
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings- Maya Angelou
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made for Whiteness- Austin Channing Brown
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption- Bryan Stevenson
Redefining Realness: My Path To Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More- Janet Mock
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches- Audre Lorde
So You Want to Talk About Race- Ljeoma Oluo
The Bluest Eye- Toni Morrison
The Fire Next Time- James Baldwin
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness- Michelle Alexander
The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-first Century- Grace Lee Boggs
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration- Isabel Wilkerson
Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston
This Bridge Called My Back: Writing by Radical Women of Color- Cherrie Moraga

⁣Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-Create Race in the Twenty-First Century- Dorothy Roberts
The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America, With a New Preface- Khalil Gibran Muhammad
The Blacker The Berry- Wallace Thurman
The Autobiography of Malcolm X- Malcolm X and Alex Haley
Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland- Jonathan M. Metzi
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America- James Forman Jr.
Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Thought- Cedric J. Robinson
Waiting ‘Til The Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America- Peniel E. Joseph
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective- Keeanga- Yarnahtta Taylor
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves- Glory Edim

Documentaries:

13th ⁣
I am Not Your Negro ⁣
The Rachel Divide ⁣
The Central Park Five ⁣
The Black Panthers - Vanguard Of The Revolution⁣
American Son
Dear White People
See You Yesterday
When They See Us
If Beals Street Could Talk
The Hate U Give
Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975
Clemency
Fruitvale Station
Just Mercy
Selma

Podcasts

1619 by The New York Times
Code Switch by NPR
Intersectionality Matters! Hosted by Kimberle Crenshaw
Pod For The Cause from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Pod Save The People by Crooked Media
The Diversity Gap
About Race

Follow These Social Media Accounts

Rachel Cargle - @Rachel.cargle⁣

Mona Chalabi - @monachalabi ⁣

Munroe Bergdorf @munroebergdorf

Candice Brathwaite - @candicebrathwaite⁣

Akala - @akalamusic⁣

Layla F. Saad - @laylafsaad⁣

No White Saviors - @nowhitesaviors

Ava DuVernay - @Ava⁣

The Conscious Kid - @theconsciouskid⁣

Reni Eddo-Lodge - @renieddolodge⁣

Check Your Privilege - @ckyourprivilege⁣

Support Black Sustainable Fashion Brands:

ILAVA: It Can Be Done- a socially responsible lifestyle brand that sells African- inspired clothing, accessories while celebrating inspirational and powerful women around the world

Swaby Fashion- a edgy chic clothing brand produced by Shernett Swaby

Nabru Urban- a vintage shop on Depop that provides a fresh take on streetstyle

Model Atelier- a luxury womenswear brand that designs for the tall, strong, and confident woman

Bates- shops that sells unique reusable face masks

Alex Carter- a brand that supports the Black community in different collaborations and initiatives

Bella Niecele- a couture fashion brand that creates and sells handcrafted couture designs with the body of women in mind

Borris Powell- a men’s and women’s luxury brand that is flirtatious mix of art and sartorial skill

Gidi- a line of luxury women’s apparel that is carefully designed to transcend trends and seasons

Essential Elements-Chicago- a brand that brings fashionable, real women clothing in the south side of Chicago

Bbold- a brand for the bold based in Chicago

Shop Confidence- a young contemporary apparel brand of Model Atelier created by The Scales that strives in clothing the world in confidence and to empower young women and men of all sizes and shapes to love themselves at they are and to believe they are capable of achieving greatness

Takara- is a organic, funktional clothing brand for real women that is designed and manufactured in Chicago

Black Garment Bag- a personal styling experiences exclusively for men that helps streamline shopping strategy, developing personal style and maximizes every piece in your clothing

Support These Organizations