Climate Justice is Racial Justice: How to Make Progress on Both
This article contains the content from the 2/16/2021 Bioneers Pulse newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter straight to your inbox!
“It is critically important that we have climate conversations through the lens of people who have lived these experiences. Because it doesn’t make a difference where you come from or what you look like, sometimes you just need things to be done in the language that you understand.” ~Heather McTeer Toney, internationally renowned leader in environmental and climate justice
Racial justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate impacts — a symptom of an extractive system founded on White supremacy and exploitation. While there is no quick fix for these deep-seated issues, visionary leaders (especially those that are Black, Indigenous and People of Color) are working tirelessly to advance the movements toward justice for both people and the planet.
Vanessa Daniel on Funding Black and Indigenous Leadership
Women of color, and Black women in particular, are the most progressive voting block in the U.S. and the catalyst for the boldest movements of our time – from #MeToo, to #BlackLivesMatter, to the largest protest movement in the history of the country witnessed in this summer’s uprisings.
Vanessa Daniel is the founder and Executive Director of the Groundswell Action Fund, the largest U.S. institution helping fund women of color-led 501c4 organizations. In this Bioneers 2020 talk, she asks: What we can learn from the light they are shining on the path to freedom for all people? And how can philanthropy support their efforts?
Watch and read more here.
P.S. Hear more from Vanessa Daniel in her video conversation with Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers! She shares more about her work with the Groundswell community, the importance of building cross-cultural and multi-racial coalitions, and where she sees the future of organizing.
Healing Across Divides: Building Bridges through Challenging Systemic Injustice
In recent years, political polarization and a sense of “othering” has been immensely apparent, both in ideology and physical manifestations, such as the border wall. It’s time for collective healing.
john a. powell is the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute. In this keynote address from the Bioneers 2020 Conference, powell challenges us to think beyond individualized practices of bridging across differences, which ignore the structural injustices we live in, so we may build a more just society together.
Watch and read more here.
P.S. Hear more from john powell in his video conversation with Kenny Ausubel, co-founder of Bioneers! They dive into how we can better understand the structures of “othering,” through the lenses of history, neuroscience, and philosophy, and how we can all contribute to changing these structures through new stories, new practices, and new intentions.
Live Online Workshop: Reclaiming Radical Rage and Ancestral Trauma
Our friends at the California Institute of Integral Studies are presenting this event on March 20-21. Join psychologist Dr. Jennifer Mullan, founder of Decolonizing Therapy for this experiential and interactive workshop on understanding, reclaiming, and healing our rage. Dr. Mullan guides participants through a mix of lecture, meditation, personal reflection, visualization, writing, and narrative therapeutic techniques to facilitate healing in a group shared format.
CIIS is currently hosting their Spring 2021 season of events. Browse their program brochure now to find virtual discussions and workshops around compassion, psychedelics, spirituality and more!
NEW PODCAST EPISODE! “Why Equity is Good for Everyone: Changing the Story, Changing the World” with john a. powell and Heather McGhee
How do we change the story of corrosive racial inequity? First, we have to understand the stories we tell ourselves. In this program, racial justice innovators john a. powell and Heather McGhee show how empathy, honesty and the recognition of our common humanity can change the story to bridge the racial divides tearing humanity and the Earth apart.
Listen to the full episode here.
Racial Justice Beyond Trump
Too many injustices in U.S. history have remained unaddressed and unhealed. During the four years under the Trump administration, this tension has blatantly emerged in the forms of white supremacy, political polarization, and a monumental economic divide. But this moment in time has not been without mass resistance. Historically marginalized people — especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color — are leading the movement toward a democracy that works for everyone.
In this conversation, racial justice leaders discuss the movement as it predates and continues beyond Trump. Hosted by Bakari Kitwana, with LaTosha Brown, Mutale Nkonde, and Greisa Martínez Rosas.
Dismantling Systemic Racism Media Collection
As we work to topple systems of violence and oppression, we must come to terms with the racism and exploitation that is woven throughout U.S. history and continues today. We must also acknowledge the legacy of an economy built on genocide, enslavement and stolen land.
This collection of Bioneers media is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the resources available to get educated and get involved on these topics. We encourage you to visit the organizations listed below and those represented by these speakers, including Patrisse Cullors, LaTosha Brown, john a. powell, Fania Davis, and more.
Browse the full collection now!
This article contains the content from the 2/16/2021 Bioneers Pulse newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter straight to your inbox!
