For the Climate Justice Movement to arrive at results that are truly “just,” it must be radically inclusive, which means that its struggles must of course intersect with those of social, racial and gender justice movements, but it also means that other historically disenfranchised groups can’t be excluded, so, for example, the Disability Justice Movement must have a seat at the table. One of this year’s Brower Youth Award winners, Alexia Leclercq, an environmental justice organizer based in Austin TX and NYC, shares her passion about these rarely discussed aspects of intersectionality.

This talk was delivered at the 2021 Bioneers Conference. Read the transcript of this presentation here.

Alexia Leclercq (she/they), a young environmental justice organizer based in Austin TX and NYC, is a co-founder of Start: Empowerment, a non-profit that works with teachers and students to implement radical social and environmental justice education and programming and that organizes at a grassroots level to combat environmental racism. Alexia was just announced as one of the winners of this year’s prestigious Brower Youth Awards.

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Over the last 20 years, the Bioneers Youth Leadership and Education Program has served as an incubator for thousands of youth and educators to deepen their passion and power through self-expression, skills development, mentorship and deep relationship building within the broader community of Bioneers. The program has produced some of the most dynamic, engaging, and cutting edge programming within the Bioneers kaleidoscope and it continues to shape the work of youth movements, activism and education.