GREEN NEWS & VIEWS
5 Black Heroes Of The Environmental Movement
1. Wangari Maathai, Kenyan Assis- tant Minister for Environment and Nobel Peace Laureate In 2004, Professor Maathai made history as the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her dedication to sustainable develop- ment, democracy and peace. She start- ed the Green Belt Movement (www. greenbeltmovement.org), a commu- nity-based tree planting initiative that aims to reduce poverty and encourage conservation, in 1977. More than 51 million trees have been planted help- ing build climate resilience and em- power communities, especially wom- en and girls. Her environmental work is celebrated every year on Wangari Maathai Day on 3 March. 2. Robert Bullard Known as the ‘father of environ- mental justice’, Dr. Bullard has cam- paigned against harmful waste be- ing dumped in predominantly Black neighbourhoods in the southern states of the US since the 1970s. His first book, Dumping in Dixie , highlighted the link between systemic racism and environmental oppression, showing how the descendants of slaves were exposed to higher-than-average lev-
field’. They called for an end to nega- tive narratives around Black people and their relationship with nature in the US, Europe and Africa and listed solutions to eradicate racism, from ed- ucation to ensuring access to wildlife. From environmental justice advo- cates to scientists and social entrepre- neurs, here are just a handful of the many Black environmentalists who have contributed to our global under- standing of the need to look after our planet.
BY KATE WHITING
• February is Black History Month in the US and Canada. • More work needs to be done to ad- dress systemic racism in the environ- mental field, coupled with a greater push for environmental equity. • From environmental justice advo- cates to scientists and social entrepre- neurs, here are some of those working to raise awareness of the issues impact- ing the planet. From Greta Thunberg to Sir David Attenborough, the headline-grabbing climate change activists and environ- mentalists of today are predominantly white. But like many areas of society, those whose voices are heard most of- ten are not necessarily representative of the whole. Environmental issues are deeply interconnected with racial justice as Black people have historically been disproportionately impacted by pollu- tion, climate change and lack of access to green space. In June 2020, 25 Black environmental leaders published an open letter calling for an end to the ‘systemic and perva- sive racism within the environmental
Robert Bullard, the “Father of Environmental Justice”
(Photo credit: Dave Brenner, CC BY 2.0
Wangari Maathai in Nairobi, Kenya ID 52318519 © Joe Sohm | Dreamstime. com )
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PATHWAYS—Spring 21—43
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