Celebrating Black Leaders in Environmental Justice

It's Black History Month for those of us in the US and Canada (it is celebrated in October in the UK and countries in Europe). Given that ISWEJ’s roots are in the US, we would like to take this opportunity to remember and highlight Black history, leadership, and achievement.

Different groups and organizations have their own ways of marking the occasion of Black History Month, and we hope to do so by sharing links to talks, articles, and resources by and about Black environmental and climate justice leaders.

It is critical for social workers to recognize and celebrate the work of Black leaders and activists who laid the foundation of the environmental and climate justice movements, as well as those tirelessly working to build a better future.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and we would love to hear from you to add to it!

Upcoming Events:

• Taking Nature Black Conference (Feb 23-27)

• Green Economy in the Black Community (Feb 24)

• Black Lives Matter & Environmental Racism: A Social Work Ethics Perspective (Mar 5)

Organizations & Communities:

• National Black Environmental Justice Network

• Vision for a Sustainable Environmental Future (and New Horizons Conservation Conference)

• Support These Intersectional Environmental Organizations for Black History Month

• Black Girl Environmentalist (@blackgirlenvironmentalist)

Articles:

• The Climate Movement Has Always Been Black

• The Environmental Justice Movement Is Rooted In Black History

• 7 Black Environmentalists Shaping the Future

• Mama Johnson: A Visionary Who Inspired Her Country (a profile on Hazel Johnson)

• Q&A with the ‘Father’ of Environmental Justice (Dr. Robert D. Bullard) at a Turning-Point Moment

• 28 Black Environmentalists

• 4 Black Women Leaders on Climate, Justice, and the Green ‘Promised Land’

• Black Artists and Storytellers on the Climate Crisis

• The land-healing work of George Washington Carver

• A Translator for the Climate Crisis, Grief Included (a profile on Mary Annaïse Heglar)

Videos:

• Dr. Robert D. Bullard: How Environmental Racism Shapes the US

• adrienne maree brown and “Emergent Strategies”

• Black History Month 2020: Interview with Youth Climate Justice Activists

• Environmental Justice: Peggy Shepard at TEDxHarlem

• Community-powered solutions to the climate crisis

Journal Articles:

Ducre, K. A. (2018). The Black feminist spatial imagination and an intersectional environmental justice. Environmental Sociology, 4(1), 22-35.

Gomez, A. M., Shafiei, F., & Johnson, G. S. (2011). Black women's involvement in the environmental justice movement: an analysis of three communities in Atlanta, Georgia. Race, Gender & Class, 189-214.

Perkins, T. (2021). The multiple people of color origins of the US environmental justice movement: social movement spillover and regional racial projects in California. Environmental Sociology, 1-13.

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Thanks for reading!

We are proud to announce our 2021 Virtual Environmental Justice Social Work Conference titled "Earth to Social Work" on April 28. We would love for you to join us!

Also, The ISWEJ is now on Twitter @theISWEJ! We look forward to connecting with you!