1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie. I don't welcome to Stephane. Never 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: told you protection of I Heart Radio. Um And as promise, 3 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: here's our part two of our two part episode on 4 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Leah Thomas's recently published book, The Intersectional Environmentalist. If you 5 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: haven't checked it out our part one on it, go 6 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: do so. And also if you haven't checked out the book, 7 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: go do so because it's it's really really excellently written. 8 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: It's so important and it's such a good look at 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: why the issues of the environment have to be intersection 10 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: where we have to look at them through an intersectional lens. 11 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: So it's just can't recommend it enough. Um. And yeah, 12 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: this is as we were publishing this, this is Earth Day, 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: Earth months perhaps and you might notice at Savantha sounds 14 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: a little different, that is not happy. Decided to yes 15 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: and thendate me with all of the particles of the 16 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: earth as happens in Atlanta, Georgia. Um, and yes, everything 17 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: is watering m out of my face. You're welcome. It's 18 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: a fun description, the best way I could do it. 19 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: And it's not COVID. I have taken three tests and 20 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: they've all said no, so either its longing to me, 21 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: which I don't can't happen, but I do have my 22 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: disk of taste and smell still, as well as the 23 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: fact that I don't really have a sore throat. So 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: I guess that's that's good news. I think it's I mean, yes, 25 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: I would say Paul's under the category of good news. Yes, 26 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: but it's definitely a high allergy city. Uh, Atlanta. Everything 27 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: is yellow, everything would smell, all is out full force. 28 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: I forget about it every spring and then I go 29 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: outside and slap you in the face, right but literally 30 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: like a yes, oh yes, I forgot about this. Um. 31 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: So with that being said, let's jump right in. But again, 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: if you haven't listened to part one, we suggest you 33 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: do that first because we covered a lot of the 34 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: foundation from the book in that one. For this one, 35 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: we're going to start with environmental justice. That theme. Here's 36 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: a quote. What's often left out of environmental history and 37 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: education is how people of color have always been at 38 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: the forefront of community advocacy, even if they weren't as 39 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: present at the first Earth Day. Our arn't is often 40 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: seen summiting mountains in a national park. Black, indigenous and 41 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: other communities of color are a part of environmental history 42 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: and other very important ways, whether it's activism for indigenous sovereignty, 43 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: are black and brown communities confronting environmental hazards is a 44 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,519 Speaker 1: rich history of bipoc environmental advocacy and a centuries long 45 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: legacy of fighting for justice. The US Environmental Protection Agency 46 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: defines environmental justice as quote the fair treatment and meaningful 47 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, 48 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement 49 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. The term environmental justice 50 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: began to emerge in the nineteen eighties after both the 51 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: Civil Rights and Earth Day movements. Soon, environmental justice became 52 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: a movement of its own. We can turn to the 53 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: mother and father of environmental justice to get started, Hazel M. 54 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: Johnson and Dr Robert Bullard. Hazel M. Johnson was a 55 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: black environmental activist from the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. 56 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: After her husband passed away from lung cancer at the 57 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: young age of forty one, Johnson began to suspect environmental connection. 58 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: In a short span of time following her husband's death 59 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine, Several others within her community, all 60 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: guild gardens died from lung cancer. When a news report 61 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: announced that aut Gueld Gardens had some of the highest 62 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: race of cancer and all of Chicago, Johnson began to 63 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: ask herself why would All Killed Gardens, a community initially 64 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: built for black World War two veterans, have such a 65 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: normally high instances of cancer. When investigating the differences between 66 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: primarily black All Gilled Gardens and other Chicago neighborhoods, Johnson 67 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: found that All Killed Gardens bore tremendously disproportionate environmental hazard burden. 68 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: So that's a really long quote, but I think it's 69 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: so important when we're talking about because in the part one, 70 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: we've talked about education and how it doesn't showcase people 71 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: of color even though they've been doing this work, and 72 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: then not seeing themselves in that space, in this kind 73 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: of a rature of the people who have been at 74 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: the forefront of these movements. And I think this is 75 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: something unfortunately we've seen multiple times with these like environmental 76 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: hazards in communities that are less well off, people of color, 77 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: all kinds of things, And that's part of that intersectionality 78 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: we're talking about and why it's so important in this conversation, 79 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: right and I think it's very interesting that we talked about, yeah, 80 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the first earth Day did not 81 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: really include uh, those marginalized communities. And it's seemingly ironic, 82 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: I think, because those Earth Day happenings was such a 83 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: posh idea and so many upper class white people came 84 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 1: in with like, yeah, let me have the T shirt 85 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: that says I love the Earth and hugged the earth, 86 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: and you know, the jokes about tree hugging and all 87 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: of that came about and became almost a joke when 88 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,600 Speaker 1: the marginalized communities were so affected that it was a 89 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: violence within that community, actually killing people, actually uh, making 90 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: people sick, and no one really recognizing it. And because 91 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: when you are in the higher class of people, I'll 92 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: put that in closed meaning this as a derogatory way. Um, 93 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: it was far fetched for them because they didn't see 94 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: the imminent impact of it as where those that are 95 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: marginalized and the lower socio economic class were truly affected 96 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 1: on the daily basis, whether it's because they got sick 97 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: because they did of the water, they were getting land 98 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: taken away from them, any of those things that they 99 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: have been on the forefront. But looking like their radicals 100 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: because they're trying to stop something immediately. If not people 101 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: who are going to die, people of their community were dying. Um, 102 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: and it it's this example is a prime example of 103 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: those dying and like immediate at that point in time, 104 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 1: and it wasn't something in the far future. We need 105 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: to make it better for our kids this whole thing, 106 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: which is true. We do, we do need to make 107 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: it better for the future generations, but it's killing the 108 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: people now, and they there's this conversation of ignoring that. Um. 109 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: The fact that Secretary of State that Holland was so 110 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: fiercely opposed by those making money off of those marginalized 111 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: communities who were killing off the earth and killing off 112 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: the people of that land says a lot about what 113 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: we see as valuable and what we see who we 114 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 1: see as dismissable. And that again is why when we 115 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,599 Speaker 1: talk about intersectional environmentalism, this is not about just looking 116 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: cute and doing a trend. This is trying to save 117 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: their own lives. Yeah, and I think that's a great 118 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: point that you bring up, because I feel like a 119 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: lot of times these conversations around sustainability, it's easier for 120 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: people to be like well, that's you know, we don't 121 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: have to deal with it now. That might happen the future, 122 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: it might not, but it is happening now, and people 123 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: are dying from it now, and there are being hurt 124 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: from it right now, and they have been for a 125 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: long time. And then just something I was thinking about 126 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: the other day, because there's just been a struggle with 127 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: you know, mental health for a lot of people during 128 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: this pandemic UM and I had a friend who we 129 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: were talking about it, and it just occurred to me 130 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,679 Speaker 1: that some of the like, you know, we've we talked 131 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: about this in a recent episode, some of the advice 132 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: you hear all the time, UM is so privileged without 133 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: seeming to realize that it is. But one of them 134 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: is like, you know, go outside, go for a walk. 135 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: And I'm like, it's great if you have access to 136 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: like a safe place to walk, whether it's like sidewalk, sir, yeah, 137 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: just general safety and walking about. But not everybody has that, right. 138 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: There are so many things that are layered that seems 139 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: so easy for those who are privileged. And again, this 140 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: is the comment about being privileged, and I think that's 141 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: an even bigger conversation when we talk about this whole 142 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: environmental doom is um that's happening right now. And just 143 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: as a reminder, people have been living in this doom idea, 144 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: but they've been pushing and they've been trying to make 145 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: a difference. UM. When we talk about like Keystone is 146 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: a prime example because it actually got some traction um 147 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: because we know they're still protesting in that area, and 148 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: we know it's still happening. We know people are being 149 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 1: unfairly unjustly arrested and pushed out, and there's a constant conversation, 150 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,839 Speaker 1: and then it's become sensationalized in the conspiracy theory types 151 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: of movies that become entertainment and so therefore becomes fictionalized. 152 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: And I hate that. I hate that this is what's happening, 153 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: but also trying to bring awareness it's that's this this 154 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: fine line. But the fact of the matter is when 155 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: we have privileged people say oh no, it's over, just quit, 156 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: that means you're not truly affected. If you really think 157 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: you can quit, then you've been truly affected and you 158 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: need to do we need to do more. And I say, 159 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: not not you, we we need to do more because 160 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: that type of attitude already put those people who could 161 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: actually make some help and make some change and showing 162 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: again their privilege that they can quit. Yeah, exactly. But 163 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: moving on, She continues on, saying while some may have 164 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: overlooked the increased placement of toxic waste facilities in black 165 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:40,319 Speaker 1: communities and deemed the occurrence coincidental, Johnson fought her entire 166 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: career to prove that it was intentional. All across the 167 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: United States, black and low income communities were plagued with 168 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: environmental hazards that impact the health of residents and often 169 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 1: resulted in illness worse than quality of life and death. 170 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: Johnson fought for legislators and community members to recognize the 171 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: racism and at play and it's serious consequences on health 172 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: and the environment. She said, quote. For so long, environmental 173 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: activism has been primarily a white, middle class issue, far 174 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: removed from the daily reality of inner city life. Johnson 175 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: told the Chicago Tribune in nine it's all very well 176 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,359 Speaker 1: to embrace saving the rainforest and conserving endangered animal species, 177 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 1: but such global initiatives don't even begin to impact communities 178 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: inhabited by people of color. And yeah, that's exactly what 179 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: we're talking about. This whole idea that it's a far removed, 180 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: uh ideal situation, as if something that's not really happening, 181 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: It shows your privilege that you don't understand that it's 182 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: happening right here when you look at the drinking water, 183 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: when you talk about what's accessible, what's not accessible, when 184 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: you're talking about air quality and why that is a danger, 185 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: and yeah, who was who was doing the runoffs in 186 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: what area? So when we see big industries doing runoffs 187 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: into highly urban populations, you're like, yeah, that is absolutely 188 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: affecting them, and no one's actually testing it. And as 189 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: we know, as many administrations before even this administrations, they're 190 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: overlooking that to make the money, which is such a 191 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: b S way of being. I'm trying to I'm trying 192 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: to make this family friendly. That's what we strive for. 193 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 1: What we strive for. Yeah, yeah, and I think that, Um, 194 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 1: there are a lot of uh. As we said in 195 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 1: part one. One of the things that I love so 196 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: much about this book is it provides resources and like 197 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: other things to look up, um after after you've read it, 198 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: and like things to educate yourself on and ways you 199 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: can be active in this field. But I also like 200 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: there's chapter like near the end, and we're going to 201 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: talk about a little bit later, but there's sort of 202 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: this like, yes, these big companies are doing this, and 203 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: it can feel like you don't have any act, but 204 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: here are industries where you can, and like one was 205 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: fast fashion and stuff like that and sort of being 206 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: aware of um all that goes into those things. And 207 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: again there's still an accessibility issue and price point issue 208 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: with all of this stuff. But I appreciated that. Okay, 209 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: I know now I'm armed with more intelligence, more knowledge 210 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:26,079 Speaker 1: much yes, yes, which we love. Here's another quote. Shortly 211 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:28,960 Speaker 1: after Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Spoke to the Memphis 212 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: sanitation strikers in nineteen sixty eight, he was assassinated. This 213 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: was a national tragedy, and it was also a major 214 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 1: setback for environmental justice justice. Civil rights activists had begun 215 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,679 Speaker 1: to speak up against environmental injustices. A beloved leader was lost, 216 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,200 Speaker 1: followed by several other prominent black leaders. As many civil 217 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 1: rights activists and black citizens grieved, a largely white environmental 218 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: movement began to sweep the United States. These environmentalists took 219 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: note of the tactics used by civil rights protesters, like 220 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: sit ins, and marches, and began to use those strategies 221 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: to spread awareness about conservation, pollution, toxic waste, and more. 222 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 1: The movement finally ignited in nineteen sixty nine when disturbing 223 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: images of Cleveland, Ohio's Cuyahoga River engulfed in flames, yes, 224 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: a body of water with fire raging on top of it, 225 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: were published in Time magazine. The United States was shocked 226 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: and wanted to know more. The river fire, caused by 227 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: extremely flammable oil gas and toxic waste dumped into waterways, 228 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: was far more anomalous during this time period, but with 229 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: this one article, the nation came face to face with 230 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: what a world on fire could look like if policies 231 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: didn't adequately protect the planet. In response, millions took the streets, 232 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: protesting and pressuring politicians to implement federal environmental policies. This 233 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: collective action led to the largest environmental demonstration in history 234 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: on April twenty second, nineteen seventy Earth Day, in which 235 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: twenty million Americans called for a drastic improvement and environmental policy. 236 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,599 Speaker 1: The first Earth Day was a spectacular feat with gatherings 237 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: and activities across the world. However, even though it was 238 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: in hired by and occurred in close proximity with the 239 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: civil rights movement and civil rights efforts of Chicano and 240 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: indigenous activist. It was largely white lead and attended, which 241 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: brings us to the question, what is the impact of 242 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,959 Speaker 1: having large scale environmental movements that mostly screwed the voices 243 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 1: of the underrepresented and people of color. Yeah. Um again, 244 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: I just think this is so important, all of this 245 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: context and history that Thomas provides in this book and 246 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 1: how it is such an intersectional issue, and um, why 247 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: it is very very important that it remains that we 248 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: look at it that way. And um, if you haven't 249 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: listen to part one I read the book or seeing 250 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: Leah Thomas about online, she did coin the term, uh, 251 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: intersexual environmentalist, So this is like she is doing the 252 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: work here, she has been doing the work. Um. And 253 00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: I just think she did such a great job on 254 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: like tying all of these things together and showing where 255 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: they're all connected. M And I do love her conversation 256 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: about excluding the marginalized community, the indigenous and the Chicago 257 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: community as well as obviously the black community. Um. And 258 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: it kind of reminds me of the fact that the 259 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: young people who have come up and rose in in conversation. 260 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: You know, we have this whole thing with adult politicians 261 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: making fun of young activists who were really trying to 262 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: make an effort. That's a whole different conversation. You're like, 263 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: why are you demeaning? What's happening here is a serious conversation, 264 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: and you're acting like a child by demeaning a child. 265 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: But I digress. But the fact of the matter is 266 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: that we know great at Toomberg. She kind of became 267 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: a symbol for those young people, and that the one 268 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: famous picture that I remember is her and all the 269 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: act of us, and two of the young black women 270 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: were cut out or a women of color were cut 271 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: out of the picture, and I'm like, WHOA. That says 272 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: so much to what is happening here. And I know 273 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: the other one of the ones that were cut out 274 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: was Vanessa Nakatte, who is now a little more well 275 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: known because of that incident, calling them out like I'm 276 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: here too, I've been doing the work as well. I 277 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: don't understand why I just got cut out, But it's 278 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: very telling of what is being shown, what being talked about, 279 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: who is being recognized. I mean, even Flint Michigan's own 280 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: activist Mari Company, came about and has been a part 281 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: of this work as well, and still is doing this work. 282 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: I think she's like eighteen now and really pushing forward 283 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: with the conversations. She raised money to get bottled water 284 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: because of the water situation that was still going bad. Um, 285 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: I don't think it's fully fixed even today, and no 286 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: one's looking at it, and we barely see mention of 287 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: her outside of when other activists are talked about two. 288 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 1: We follow her. We know she does an amazing job, 289 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: and she is doing that work. But I'm like, you're 290 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: a kid, bless your heart, that you have to put 291 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: this on your own shoulder, and now you've become the 292 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: face of this and again had to go under some 293 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: scrutiny about the fact that she was speaking out about it, 294 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: and that she had to be the one to speak 295 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 1: out about it, that she had to do fundraising instead 296 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: of having the government supply as they should be taking 297 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,120 Speaker 1: care of their own people. So there's so many conversations 298 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 1: about who is the face, who is being recognized and 299 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,439 Speaker 1: who is actually being listened to, And the fact that 300 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,919 Speaker 1: we know Greta, who was an amazing worker and I 301 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: don't want to take that away from her, because she's 302 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: doing amazing work and proud to see it. But she 303 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: also has the privilege of being supported by her community, 304 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: her country, and and doing all these things, even though 305 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: she goes under ridicule from other adults. But the fact 306 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: that she is getting all the accolades when so many 307 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: others have been there with her, it seemingly like there's 308 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: enough roses to give out, there's enough UH credits to 309 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: give out. Let's do that. Let's let's talk about that 310 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: and talk about those works as well, and quit making 311 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 1: it seem like it's only privileged white people who are 312 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 1: doing this, because it's not. It is not. So we 313 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 1: keep going. In her book, and she says although the 314 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: Earth Day Movement led to the creation of the Environmental 315 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: Protection Agency and the passage of several prominent federal environmental 316 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:26,920 Speaker 1: laws like the Clean Air Act or the c a 317 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: A and the Clean Water Act, it can be argued 318 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:34,120 Speaker 1: that these laws do not equally protect all Americans. While 319 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: primarily white communities in the US saw a seventy percent 320 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,400 Speaker 1: reduction in air pollution after the CIA was passed, low 321 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: income and black, Indigenous Asian Pacific Islander and Latino communities 322 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: were seemingly left out of the parameters of protection outlined 323 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: in these laws. In fact, some of the environmental legislation 324 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: has passed in the nineteen seventies directly diverted toxic waste 325 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: into black, brown, and low income communities. This exclusion and 326 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: unethical treatment led to the emergence of the environmental justice 327 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: movement in the nineteen eighties. And that's exactly what I 328 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: was talking about earlier, how it went from okay, these 329 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: industries aside the pool and re route to hear and 330 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: no one really see what what just oh it was 331 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: fixed up it here, So I'm going to be quiet, right, 332 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 1: And um, there's so many parts of this book where 333 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 1: it was hard not to just quote the entire thing 334 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,360 Speaker 1: because you know, we love some good data and numbers, 335 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: and uh Leah Thomas like really lays it out, um 336 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 1: to back up this point. So the numbers are really 337 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: stark and really quite awful. Right, But here's a quote startlingly, 338 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: As of twenty nineteen, race is still the number one 339 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: indicator of weird toxic waste facilities are located in the US, 340 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: according to Paul Mohai and Environmental Justice expert and professor 341 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,199 Speaker 1: at the University of Michigan. Even when socio economic factors 342 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: are similar across the white and non white communities, the 343 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: community of color is still more likely to be near 344 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 1: environmental hazards. The fight for environmental justice remains urgent, even 345 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: more so as we face the climate crisis. Right. I 346 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: think once again, when we have a conversation about who 347 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: gets good drinking water, who gets access to drinking water? 348 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: Drink a bowl of water. Um, we know where it starts. 349 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: When we talk about power outages, it's obvious who is 350 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: prioritized and what is prioritized when you see grids. I 351 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: think Texas had a huge understanding and saw that very quickly. 352 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: Of course, Texas is privatized. I from what I'm aware, 353 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: a lot of states are privatized and we just didn't 354 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: know it or didn't understand it. So that's a whole 355 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:46,920 Speaker 1: different conversation in itself. But yeah, Texas became a glaring 356 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: like obviousness of like, hey, we know who they're prioritizing, 357 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: and you are not it. If you are in the 358 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: low income area, you are not the one. So it's 359 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: it's an obvious line. And there are moments when in crisis, 360 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: you see who was being uh prioritized and who was 361 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: seeing as important uh and who was seen as dismissed 362 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: or eraseable. Yeah, and that's throughout the book. Thomas gives 363 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: examples of that as well. And you know, when you 364 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: think of terms like like point Michigan or it's very clear, um, 365 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: who is being prioritized, right, um, And we're moving on it, says, 366 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: History often repeats itself, and large civil rights and climate 367 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: movements have emerged again. In twenty thirteen, following the murder 368 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: of Tryvonne Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was racially 369 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: profiled and confronted while walking to a family friend's house, 370 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: activist Alicia Garza, Beatrice Colors, and opal To Matti created 371 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:47,359 Speaker 1: the phrase and hashtag black Lives Matter. Their campaign grew 372 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: into a global movement following the deaths of even more 373 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 1: unarmed black men and women killed by excessive force, galvanizing 374 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: millions of protesters over the years, and the largest civil 375 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: rights movement of the twenty first Central Land Back, a 376 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: movement to reclaim everything is stolen from indigenous people's land, language, ceremony, medicines, 377 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: and kinship, is growing to stop Asian hate movements, stoked 378 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,680 Speaker 1: by global increase in discrimination and violence against Asian people 379 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: is gaining momentum and resulting in policies shifts such as 380 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,199 Speaker 1: an anti Asian hate crimes bill. Right, so again, just 381 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: all this intersectionality and why it all matters, and then 382 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,879 Speaker 1: going on, here's another quote. At the same time, a 383 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: new generation of climate activists are emerging all across the globe. 384 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: The Youth Strike for Climate, also known as Friday's for Future, 385 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 1: began in after Swedish youth activist Greta Toomberg stage of 386 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: protests in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign 387 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 1: that read School Strike for Climate. Her actions, along with 388 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: those of several other brave students, resulted in an international 389 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: movement of students of various ages that demonstrated and walked 390 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: out of Friday classes to demand climate action, a transition 391 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: to renewable energy, and a commitment to stopping the climate crisis. 392 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: By twenty nineteen, over one million demonstrators merrely students across 393 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty countries had participated in the protests. 394 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,199 Speaker 1: And I'm glad we came back to her uh in 395 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,199 Speaker 1: our conversation because it is It's a huge thing that 396 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,120 Speaker 1: they have created. And I love these movements. And yeah, 397 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: as we even talk about in our Women around the world, 398 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,919 Speaker 1: we're often talking about the younger generation really spearheading this movement. 399 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: And I love it. I love it for us. I 400 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 1: love to see that it's happening. I'm sad that it's 401 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 1: taken this long, but yeah, but both of those big movements, 402 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: all these movements are really happening on a whole different scale. 403 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 1: I know we can talk about social media being at 404 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: the front forefront of it too, but also that these 405 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: are amazing women and girls who are creating these movements. 406 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,040 Speaker 1: And we've talked about it before. It really is a 407 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:52,399 Speaker 1: difference when you have these level of activists ready to 408 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:57,120 Speaker 1: just stand up and have a conversation um. And oftentimes 409 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 1: we see that it is squashed or nor for so long. 410 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,639 Speaker 1: And when you get enough people enough attention that you 411 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,400 Speaker 1: have to at least have a conversation about it, which 412 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 1: is the smallest step that you could truly take. But 413 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: as it's at least beginning something. Yes, yes, And one 414 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 1: of the other things I really loved about this book is, uh, 415 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: the nuance all these things were given. Um, the nuance 416 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: that it deserves because I think, um, a lot of 417 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: times there's like terms like wish cycling are you know, 418 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:32,360 Speaker 1: like a lot of times we do like one good thing, 419 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 1: like I'm doing this for the earth, But you really 420 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: have to look into that, like it's way more than 421 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: just that, and there can be a dark side to 422 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: some of these things, right, which we're going to talk 423 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:45,879 Speaker 1: about towards the end. But before we get to that, 424 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: we did want to talk about privilege, because there's a 425 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: whole chapter about that in the book. Here's a quote. 426 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: We all have parts of our identities that shape how 427 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,679 Speaker 1: we relate to the world and how the world relates 428 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: to us. The smallest things, some freckles on our faces, 429 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: to the tons of our voices can influence how we're 430 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,360 Speaker 1: perceived by others and ultimately how they might treat us. 431 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 1: These personal perceptions can lead to an accumulation of assumptions 432 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 1: that become societal perceptions or biases that can be positive, neutral, 433 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,400 Speaker 1: or negative. Privilege is a set of unearned advantages positive 434 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: Again that this is just such a huge important piece 435 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 1: of like all conversations, but in this one, and when 436 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 1: it comes to environmentalism, as we've just been talking about 437 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 1: this whole time. It's you have to acknowledge it. It 438 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 1: is so important, right, um. And also where you can 439 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: do these things. So we talked about activism what after uh, 440 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: the largest typhoon that happened, and the people who are 441 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,160 Speaker 1: trying to really talk about, hey, this is killing our community. 442 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 1: Not only is it killing our way we're living, but 443 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: our way of life. Like fishermen who are trying to 444 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: make a living, they're dying because they're getting capsized and drowning, 445 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: like all of these things. And these are conversations about 446 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 1: the way things are built, the types of constructions that 447 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: are happening, all of these things, and people were being 448 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: murdered for just saying it, um. And that's what the 449 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: biggest thing is like for the upper class white citizens, 450 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: that is not as huge a threat as those indigenous 451 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: in our communities who have disappeared. They have disappeared in 452 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: their activism and it is still happening. There are conversations 453 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 1: and questions where we're like, wait, we also know that 454 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: a lot of indigenous activists have been actually arrested h 455 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,919 Speaker 1: and are still locked up, and there's conversations about that. 456 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:28,679 Speaker 1: So that is a privilege being able to protest without 457 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 1: being marked as in being endangered for your protests is 458 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: a huge privilege, and we see that more often than 459 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: not that when they are in these marginalized communities, they 460 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: are targeted in a dangerous and violent way. And that's 461 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,879 Speaker 1: a big part of that privilege. Let's keep talking about it, 462 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: because she talks about it, and we need more conversations 463 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: on it. So Leah says, social constructs are beliefs that 464 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: members of society hold an assigned meaning and value to. 465 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: For example, a common argument is that race is a 466 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: social construct. That doesn't mean that there aren't different ethnicities 467 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: of people, but that assigning value and meaning to a 468 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: different racial group in a society is a social construct. 469 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: When people use racism as a justification for the mistreatment 470 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: of other people, they are playing off a social construct 471 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 1: that race inherently makes humans different from one another. When 472 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,680 Speaker 1: there's no factual or scientific basis for this. Stereotypes are 473 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: born out of social constructs. Feel like, that's pretty pretty 474 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: self explanatory, which, by the way, has been weaponized against people, 475 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: which is what we know the white sis heteronormative community 476 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: are using. Saying, you're you're creating this, not us, which 477 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: is a different conversation we're not going to get into, 478 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: but you know, being aware of that as well. And 479 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 1: she continues on, when we hold the belief that anyone 480 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: can succeed if they just set their mind to it, 481 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: we also give credits to the flip side of that 482 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: myth that those who don't succeed aren't quote trying hard enough. Uh. 483 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: This places the blame solely on the individuals and need 484 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: rather than on the system of power supporting the barriers 485 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: and disadvantages that oppressed them no matter how hard they 486 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,640 Speaker 1: work or try. And that's the big like. She does 487 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,360 Speaker 1: such a great job in breaking that down about what 488 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: that looks like. Um, that bootstrapping theory should have been 489 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: dismissed so long ago. Maybe it could have worked for 490 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: one point in time for the lower middle class, lower 491 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: class white people that worked but that still had a 492 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: system of favor. Whether it's someone like them that pulled 493 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: them up, whether it was a family member that eventually 494 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: like their networking is a whole different conversation. Um. As 495 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: well as that word oppressed or oppression, someone has to 496 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: be the one that gains from that, and it's typically 497 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,240 Speaker 1: always those in power, right and I just but I 498 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: think this point is so so important because it's been 499 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: part of our national is those for so long, that idea, 500 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 1: and now it's kind of been repackaged until like you 501 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:06,719 Speaker 1: gotta hustle, you gotta do that hustle out of your 502 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: side hustle. But there are these systems in place, like 503 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: you can work as hard, I mean, you can have 504 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: like three part time jobs and not barely make a living, 505 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,000 Speaker 1: like you're working so hard. But they're all of these things, 506 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,479 Speaker 1: all these obstacles and systems that are preventing you from 507 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: living a half the happy, healthy life right where you 508 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:31,760 Speaker 1: can yeah, where you do have room to grow our 509 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,920 Speaker 1: uh give whatever job you want or whatever life that 510 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: you want. Um yeah, it's not just like, oh, you 511 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: didn't work hard enough for so ready to turn it 512 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: around and blame it on people who are working so 513 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: hard and like running their bodies into the ground, right, 514 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: And the level of that is that example of having 515 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: a full time job too, part time jobs, those things, 516 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: which I was one of those people. Um, and don't 517 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 1: get me wrong, I definitely was faring better than most. 518 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: But the fact of the matter is I was privileged 519 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: enough to know people to put me in positions to 520 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: get those extra jobs, um to make that work for myself. 521 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: But on top of that, I did barely get enough 522 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: to live on my own. This did not push me 523 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 1: to be so rich. It literally was Wow, I can 524 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: actually afford to go and be with my friends today 525 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: and not have to worry about whether or not this 526 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 1: car is going to go through, which I've had manion times, 527 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: like to be declined and having that panic attack about 528 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: being behind. And the way I'm saying this is obviously 529 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: very privileged because I was single and did not have 530 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: children to worry for that I didn't have go to 531 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: a grocery store and hoping that I would it would 532 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 1: clear to buy soup for my family, and or not 533 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:50,959 Speaker 1: seeing my family or trying to figure out how to 534 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: decide whether we're gonna have food or daycare so I 535 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:55,840 Speaker 1: can go to these set jobs. There's so many things 536 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: to this that's a whole different level of conversation. UM. 537 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,240 Speaker 1: And for those I know, many of those who are 538 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 1: affected by this type of environmental injustices don't have time 539 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: to advocate for themselves because they're working and just trying 540 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: to survive that way in order to get those foods 541 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: so they can't be activists for themselves. So there's just 542 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: a whole line of conversation about who was able to 543 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: be activists. And that's why we see probably a larger 544 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: number of very privileged white people being able to do 545 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: this because they have the time and they have extra 546 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,479 Speaker 1: income that they can take time off to do. So. Yeah, 547 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 1: and that's part of like the the cycle we need 548 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 1: to break out of with this because again like going 549 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,560 Speaker 1: back to the point of never seeing anyone like her 550 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: at these things. But yeah, it's just all it's all connected. 551 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: Here's another quote going back to the earlier statistic of 552 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: lower funding and BIPAC schools versus primarily white schools. This 553 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:10,720 Speaker 1: funding gap also exists in community resources like parks, community gardens, 554 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,720 Speaker 1: and green spaces, meaning that access to these resources also 555 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: varies along racial lines. Systemic housing discrimination practices like redlining 556 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: the refusal to ensure mortgages in and near black neighborhoods 557 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: have added to the climate burden by silo and communities 558 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 1: of color in areas that are more likely to be 559 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: plagued by environmental injustice. Black and Latin X people in 560 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 1: the US experience in quote air pollution burden, in which 561 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: they are exposed to fifty six per cent and more 562 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 1: pollution than is caused by their consumption, and which is 563 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,480 Speaker 1: linked to higher rates of cardiovascular and respiratory issues. The 564 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: opposite is true for white Americans who experience a pollution advantage, 565 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: which they breathe in less air pollution than they cause. 566 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 1: So that's also yeah, key part of this too is 567 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: that you know who's causing the most damage and who's 568 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: the most impactful. Right, Well, that's the other part of 569 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 1: this because I think about the Clean Air Act um 570 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: and one of the things that came out of the 571 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:08,200 Speaker 1: Clean Air Act was things like emission testing. Great idea, 572 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: but as someone who was earning a year UM trying 573 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,479 Speaker 1: to live in Atlanta, which the cost of living is 574 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: significantly higher, that has an emissions test that you have 575 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: to do and if you do not pass it, you 576 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:29,040 Speaker 1: cannot get attack for your car and you're penalized beyond whatever. 577 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: At one point in time, my catalytic converter went out. 578 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: All of these things are so bad for the environment. 579 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: I get air quality, everybody should do their part, but 580 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 1: I don't have hundred dollars to fix my car. But 581 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: I have to have a car to go to my job, 582 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: what do I do? There's so many things about who 583 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:51,880 Speaker 1: is really punishing more so than anyone else. And if 584 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: you have a brand new car, you're fine. You're fine 585 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 1: for the first two or three years. Who gets brand 586 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: new cars not those who can't afford it obviously, So 587 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: there's just so many conversation about who are they actually 588 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: making money off of and who is it actually going after? Um. 589 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: And those are big conversations that we need to have 590 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: about providing services, and then also talking about public transportation 591 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 1: not being accessible to many of people or being really 592 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 1: dangerous because people are not really checking in on the 593 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: safety and the real concerns for those who are using 594 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,560 Speaker 1: public transport and who has accessibility to it. Um. There's 595 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 1: so many conversations to this, and then when we look 596 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: at it, when you break it down, yes, we want 597 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:33,720 Speaker 1: to definitely stop with the cars. Let's get more probably transit. 598 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,360 Speaker 1: But people are so opposed to it because they're like 599 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,800 Speaker 1: it's going to bring in those urban people, which is 600 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: very coded language and when we know exactly what they mean, um, 601 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: and so therefore it cuts access. But then we have 602 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,879 Speaker 1: more admissions and the corporations are not even turning an 603 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 1: eye when one giant building, one corporation gives so much more, 604 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,000 Speaker 1: kills off so much more of the quality of air 605 00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: and causing more problems and pollutions which are most likely 606 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: going to be in areas that are again, uh lower 607 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,319 Speaker 1: socioeconomic living areas, because people are like, oh, we don't 608 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 1: want to live by this, No one does, but I 609 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 1: can't afford to not live there, so who has There's 610 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: so many conversations to this that is completely layered about privilege. Um, 611 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 1: but yeah, I really the Clean Air Act good intentions 612 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 1: for those who can afford it. Yeah, I mean it, 613 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 1: say another example of like clearly didn't ask the people 614 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,560 Speaker 1: who would be impacted the most. And as as we said, 615 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,279 Speaker 1: we are going to talk some more about some of 616 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: the things that fall under that as well. Yes, um 617 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: and yeah. Going on. In addition to environmental injustices, living 618 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,960 Speaker 1: sustainably can be a matter of privilege. Single use items 619 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 1: are more expensive, and plastics is found at a higher 620 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: rates in communities of color. Living on a plant based 621 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,360 Speaker 1: diet and eating regenerative and organically grown products is nearly 622 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:57,560 Speaker 1: impossible in a state of food apartheid, in which communities 623 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: of color are more likely to be found so when 624 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 1: educating others about sustainability, made sure to think about intersectionality 625 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 1: and privilege. First, refrain from the shaming those who are 626 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:13,520 Speaker 1: faced with systemic barriers to living low waist and sustainably. 627 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 1: Um and we had a giant example of that, I 628 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 1: think we we did an ad read about paper plates, 629 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: and we got a couple of emails like, hey, how 630 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 1: dare you? This is awful for the world and whatever whatnot. 631 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:28,920 Speaker 1: And my first response was, I get what you're saying. 632 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:33,720 Speaker 1: But for a lot of those who are working constant jobs, 633 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,879 Speaker 1: have three or four children, have constant usage, and this 634 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,279 Speaker 1: is not as accessible as you think it is. This 635 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,720 Speaker 1: is a cheap alternative for people trying to save time 636 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: and trying to have their kids be a part of 637 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 1: the family. So when a single mom or a single 638 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 1: father or a single parent caregiver is there, they're working 639 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:55,320 Speaker 1: two jobs and they have a twelve year old sitting 640 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,000 Speaker 1: in for a couple of hours feeding each other, it's 641 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,279 Speaker 1: not as easy as you think. Um And I say 642 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,440 Speaker 1: this as I would grow up UH in an area 643 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: once again where we didn't have recyclables, and sure we 644 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:12,520 Speaker 1: wanted to UH use replace and such, but when you 645 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 1: have four kids, trying to do all those dishes, caring 646 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,439 Speaker 1: for yourselves, trying to care for others. It's a little 647 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: harder than you think. Um, And don't get me wrong, 648 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: do I use paper place? No? But am I privileged 649 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: enough to have just me, myself and I as part 650 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:29,560 Speaker 1: of the thing. Yes, you may think it's not that hard, 651 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:31,279 Speaker 1: but it does build up on time. And there's this 652 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: level of shaming that we really need to get away 653 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 1: from because that doesn't do what you think it does. No, 654 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,320 Speaker 1: And I think that this is such a good reminder 655 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:44,600 Speaker 1: of again, like nothing is that clear cut, right, Nothing 656 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 1: in life is that clear cut. There's always something to consider, 657 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: and especially around accessibility, because I've seen similar arguments around 658 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:56,200 Speaker 1: it's sort of different but related, but around like pre 659 00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 1: cut food and people be like the Wells people so lazy. 660 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: Not everybody, I guess, you know, if some people can't 661 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: cut up like time wise and maybe they have a 662 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:10,120 Speaker 1: disability or something, you should just make sure. Let's let's 663 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:13,080 Speaker 1: let's stop. And that's the whole conversation about for those 664 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,800 Speaker 1: who can't afford it, that's wonderful. Let's not have shame food, 665 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,800 Speaker 1: shame people. It just got into the last five years 666 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,880 Speaker 1: when people are all like, oh, food stamps are for 667 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:27,560 Speaker 1: those who really are trying to feed everyone on a budget. 668 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:30,840 Speaker 1: And I've already explained this a couple of times. To 669 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: qualify for a food stamp, it's pretty difficult, and to 670 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:35,879 Speaker 1: lose it is really easy. Like I had to sit 671 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 1: and sit with my clients to try to fill these out, 672 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: and I'm like, what the hell are these forms? And 673 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,120 Speaker 1: how quickly you can lose It is so easy. It's 674 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: so easy to lose. But all of that to say, 675 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 1: it just got to the point that it's like, oh, 676 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:53,640 Speaker 1: they don't want just milk and cheese and bread. You 677 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:56,600 Speaker 1: can't like just you can have fruit, but it costs 678 00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:00,239 Speaker 1: so much that it's not cost efficient. And then people 679 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:02,799 Speaker 1: shaming people for buying something that's not on the list 680 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,560 Speaker 1: and having a food stamp. That's such an odd state 681 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: as to have to have against people who have food 682 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,439 Speaker 1: stamps allowed them to have a treat having ice cream. 683 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,200 Speaker 1: How dare you? How dare you were on food stamps? What? Like? 684 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,480 Speaker 1: There's so many levels, And to the fact that finally, 685 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: I think in the last five years, community gardens, farmers, 686 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,560 Speaker 1: marketers have been like, oh, it would be nice to 687 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,359 Speaker 1: be accessible for these fresh fruits and good foods and 688 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: actually giving like double the value. Yes, please, let's let's 689 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:34,759 Speaker 1: let's do that. That's called carrying and actually doing some 690 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:38,239 Speaker 1: type of activism right and and we won't get into 691 00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:40,320 Speaker 1: this now, but that's also related to the fat shaming 692 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,960 Speaker 1: we see of oh, well they eat at McDonald's all 693 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:47,440 Speaker 1: the time or whatever it is. But that again a 694 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:50,320 Speaker 1: lot of times and affordability like what can I afford 695 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: to our time thing, especially if you're working like three jobs. Um, 696 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:56,319 Speaker 1: and then we have the health crisis and we as 697 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,760 Speaker 1: a country seemed to blame we're ready to blame all Amazon. 698 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,880 Speaker 1: You should not do that all the time, could be 699 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: only what they could get their hands on or and 700 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: that's again I think we need to have a lot 701 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:12,720 Speaker 1: more compassion because I know there's a lot of foodie 702 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: bloggers parent bloggers have that have all these privilege who 703 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,520 Speaker 1: do shame about food and saying don't feed us to 704 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 1: your kids. It's really really cute and easy and if 705 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,279 Speaker 1: you're able to do that, fantastic go you. Um, no 706 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 1: shame to that, but this shouldn't be the narrative that 707 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:30,840 Speaker 1: you've put a stance on you really need to calm 708 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,279 Speaker 1: down and really think about who you're talking to and 709 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 1: why this kuld be really really damaging in so many ways. 710 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:55,960 Speaker 1: Exactly exactly. Thomas also does a great job. She goes 711 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 1: into the history of enslavement and disregarding the lives of 712 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 1: black people and how historically that's we're still seeing that 713 00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:05,920 Speaker 1: going on, and how that is involved in this conversation. Um. 714 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 1: Here's another quote. In a two thousand nine USC study 715 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,360 Speaker 1: the Climate Gap, Inequalities and how Climate Change Hurts Americans 716 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,880 Speaker 1: and how to close the gap, researchers found that quote, 717 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:18,600 Speaker 1: African Americans, on average omit nearly less greenhouse gases than 718 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,799 Speaker 1: non Hispanic whites for capita. Though less responsible for climate change, 719 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:24,960 Speaker 1: African Americans are significantly more vulnerable to its effects than 720 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:28,439 Speaker 1: non Hispanic whites. This is a recurring theme we'll see 721 00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:31,400 Speaker 1: throughout this chapter. Those who are at least responsible for 722 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:34,720 Speaker 1: the climate crisis are often the most impacted and burdened 723 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:37,799 Speaker 1: by it. So yes, again that um, and then there 724 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:42,760 Speaker 1: is great numbers breakdown on how environmental injustices impact the Black, 725 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: Latin x A, a p I, and Indigenous communities, with 726 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:50,560 Speaker 1: notes on people with disabilities and queer folks. There's international examples, 727 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,279 Speaker 1: so like how the US was shipping waste to other 728 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:59,040 Speaker 1: countries and how that impacted health, sea level rise and 729 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:05,120 Speaker 1: how that packs certain countries like way more than other countries. Um. 730 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,600 Speaker 1: And then as I mentioned, um, there is these everyday examples. 731 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:12,400 Speaker 1: She goes over. So one being fast fashion, Um, the 732 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:16,080 Speaker 1: waste involved, the human rights violations, the cost of entry, 733 00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:20,879 Speaker 1: accessibility for slow fashion. So again, like nothing is clear cut. 734 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: Can't just say like this is good or bad, but 735 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:24,759 Speaker 1: it has all of these pieces and we need to 736 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:28,879 Speaker 1: talk about it. Another one is the green energy UM. 737 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:31,399 Speaker 1: The lack of inclusion and decision making when it comes 738 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 1: to indigenous people causing harm. We're not done with an 739 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 1: intersectionality in mind. So yeah, again like that sounds great, 740 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:40,040 Speaker 1: but we have to talk to the people it's going 741 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:42,480 Speaker 1: to impact. We have to involve them in it, right, 742 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:48,200 Speaker 1: because it can. She gives examples of when it's harmed communities. Right. Also, 743 00:42:48,239 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: let's just talk about the fact that it's not affordable. 744 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: Most of the time, these options are not affordable and 745 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,759 Speaker 1: the company is doing this on purpose. We know this. 746 00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:59,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, when it sounds like a great idea, I 747 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 1: don't want to do it, and in the end it 748 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:04,000 Speaker 1: may save you money, but at the beginning most people 749 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:08,880 Speaker 1: can't afford it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Um, but this is 750 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: sort of what I was mentioning earlier, that I feel 751 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:14,680 Speaker 1: that a lot of people like to make themselves feel 752 00:43:14,719 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: better without doing the researchers. Oh, this looks good where 753 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:20,240 Speaker 1: they're on a company level, because companies definitely do it too, 754 00:43:20,719 --> 00:43:23,320 Speaker 1: or on just our own personal levels. All right, So 755 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:26,840 Speaker 1: she continues and writes, the global transition to green energy 756 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: should not come at the expense of the safety of 757 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:32,800 Speaker 1: indigenous peoples. We urgently need to face out our reliance 758 00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,960 Speaker 1: on non renewable resources, and green tech should be highly 759 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:42,480 Speaker 1: prioritized as a solution. However, within an intersectional approach to environmentalism, 760 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:45,640 Speaker 1: we must acknowledge the dark side of green energy and 761 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:49,680 Speaker 1: the harm that these initiatives have caused to marginalize communities. 762 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:52,680 Speaker 1: We must also ensure that future projects take the protection 763 00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:56,640 Speaker 1: of all people into considerations. We don't have to choose 764 00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:00,040 Speaker 1: between justice for people and the planet. Social justice and 765 00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:06,200 Speaker 1: a green economy can and should coexist. Yes enough said, yes, yes, yes. 766 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:09,440 Speaker 1: And then also another kind of daily example. She she 767 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 1: went over with veganism and plant based living, and she 768 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:15,600 Speaker 1: goes up very like the huge environmental impact of eating 769 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:18,840 Speaker 1: meat increase in veganism, but again like the lack of 770 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:21,880 Speaker 1: representation when it comes to people of color. Right today, 771 00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:26,000 Speaker 1: I had an amazing video pop up from an I 772 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:30,200 Speaker 1: believe a Middle Eastern activist who was talking about the 773 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:34,120 Speaker 1: fact that Western culture has kind of demonized vegan veganism 774 00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:37,560 Speaker 1: in a way that or sensationalized one of the two 775 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:39,680 Speaker 1: is it's very it's according to who you talk to 776 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:43,279 Speaker 1: about veganism, and using tofu as a primary example, about 777 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:47,200 Speaker 1: the fact that tofu is a classic dish within Asian cultures. 778 00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:49,880 Speaker 1: I've seen it all throughout, whether it's a part of 779 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:54,120 Speaker 1: Korean food, uh, Korean Indian food, but it's just an 780 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,920 Speaker 1: automatic part of it and it just happens to things 781 00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:59,960 Speaker 1: like especially Indian cuisine leans a little more to vegetari 782 00:45:00,239 --> 00:45:03,359 Speaker 1: in eating and the fact that it's just their lifestyle, 783 00:45:03,719 --> 00:45:05,920 Speaker 1: and how the Western culture has taking that in either 784 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:09,280 Speaker 1: sensationalized that to a point that has become so expensive 785 00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 1: and over the top, and or mocking it saying it's 786 00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: a fruit fruit food. It's such an odd stance to 787 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:17,239 Speaker 1: take that when I started thinking about It's like, yeah, 788 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:20,920 Speaker 1: it really is. Had I been raised in Korea, it 789 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:23,440 Speaker 1: would just been naturally part of all of my dishes 790 00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:25,239 Speaker 1: and I would have not thought about it. As in fact, 791 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:27,239 Speaker 1: when I get these Korean dishes, I don't think about it. 792 00:45:27,239 --> 00:45:29,200 Speaker 1: I just like, oh, this is good. It's just a 793 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:32,560 Speaker 1: part of this dish. And coming into the US cultural 794 00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:35,080 Speaker 1: ideas about this being like this is for oh, you're 795 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:37,680 Speaker 1: a hippie or what are those things? Or or you're 796 00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:41,120 Speaker 1: trying to do these things and it's seemingly exotic foods 797 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:45,239 Speaker 1: quote unquote, and that battle in itself and being like well, 798 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:49,520 Speaker 1: eating tofu, eating no meat one day, it's not that 799 00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:51,839 Speaker 1: big of a deal. Why do we make it seem 800 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:56,239 Speaker 1: like we have fallen into a cultural stance and or 801 00:45:56,320 --> 00:46:00,640 Speaker 1: political stance in doing so. It shouldn't be. Yeah, it's 802 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:05,200 Speaker 1: definitely been highly politicized. And I think another great reminder 803 00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:07,680 Speaker 1: throughout um and then with this as well, is like 804 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,120 Speaker 1: you know, kind of well off white people pretending like 805 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:16,839 Speaker 1: there's no history, like they've discovered veganism, right, But there's 806 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:20,319 Speaker 1: like you said, like cultures that this is long been 807 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: part of their history. People have been doing it forever, um, 808 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:30,160 Speaker 1: So do your research right and again representation is really important, um. 809 00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:33,080 Speaker 1: And making sure that we understand, oh yeah, this is 810 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:36,120 Speaker 1: a cultural part of this and it's okay, And to 811 00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:39,839 Speaker 1: give credit to where it came from exactly. Be also 812 00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:42,840 Speaker 1: understanding that everybody can do this. Again, for still is 813 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:46,320 Speaker 1: fresh vegetables. For the most part, fresh fruit are expensive 814 00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:50,919 Speaker 1: and they quickly quickly die, quickly, go back. I'm gonna 815 00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:54,160 Speaker 1: have to learn a place you do, and that's privileged. 816 00:46:54,200 --> 00:46:56,319 Speaker 1: That's privileged to know that you can get all these things. 817 00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,279 Speaker 1: It was a privilege growing up. My parents would bring 818 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,280 Speaker 1: me fruit, but it had to be on sale, um, 819 00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,759 Speaker 1: and I loved it, but also sparsing it out so 820 00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:07,800 Speaker 1: I didn't just eat it all, but then also didn't 821 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:10,479 Speaker 1: wait too long. Such a thing. But for all these things, 822 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:12,560 Speaker 1: it is a privilege and we have to understand that. 823 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:14,160 Speaker 1: And this is why I can goods and all that 824 00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:16,400 Speaker 1: came into play, and why we need to talk about 825 00:47:16,520 --> 00:47:21,040 Speaker 1: once again affordability. But ahead, yes, yes, well this brings 826 00:47:21,080 --> 00:47:26,120 Speaker 1: us to our concluding quote. UM, So think about your 827 00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: special skills and apply them to the movements you care about. 828 00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:31,279 Speaker 1: Even though I'm anxious and don't always feel comfortable holding 829 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:33,440 Speaker 1: a megaphone. I have found that writing and digital media 830 00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:36,839 Speaker 1: are ways for me to contribute my unique skills to environmentalism. 831 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:39,440 Speaker 1: Your activism may not look like mine or like the 832 00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:41,920 Speaker 1: next persons, but all of our strengths are pieces of 833 00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:44,520 Speaker 1: the puzzle. A mentor of mine once said, even the 834 00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:48,680 Speaker 1: revolution needs accountants. This made me laugh, but it's true. 835 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:51,680 Speaker 1: We can each contribute our skills in some way. So 836 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:53,920 Speaker 1: I'll leave you with this. I hope you understand how 837 00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:57,560 Speaker 1: powerful you are. Please do share and amplify the messages 838 00:47:57,600 --> 00:47:59,799 Speaker 1: you believe the world needs to hear. Take a leap 839 00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:02,000 Speaker 1: of faith and attend to local protests if you can 840 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 1: raise your hand to introduce an intersectional perspective where it 841 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,759 Speaker 1: needs to be heard. Stand up for what's right, and 842 00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:10,480 Speaker 1: don't back down even when it's difficult, even when you 843 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:13,560 Speaker 1: might feel alone, because trust me, we're out there. There 844 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,680 Speaker 1: are generations of intersexual environmentalists in the field and a 845 00:48:16,719 --> 00:48:19,600 Speaker 1: community that's ready to embrace you with support. Together, we 846 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:23,240 Speaker 1: can transform the future of environmentalism, and with collective action, 847 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:25,880 Speaker 1: spread our message across the globe and change enough hearts 848 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:29,520 Speaker 1: and minds to positively alter the future. The future is 849 00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:35,520 Speaker 1: intersectional point blank. Yes, yes, um, I love that. That 850 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:39,440 Speaker 1: was the kind of inspiring message she ends this book with. 851 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:42,560 Speaker 1: And then as we said, there's all these really helpful resources, 852 00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:45,239 Speaker 1: so I just we can't recommend it enough. It is 853 00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:49,239 Speaker 1: really really great, really quick read. It's informative. It has those, 854 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:52,160 Speaker 1: like we said, kind of like questions to ask yourself 855 00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:56,359 Speaker 1: and think about, and action items which I love, um 856 00:48:56,400 --> 00:49:01,600 Speaker 1: to get involved in and responsible, intersectional, respectful way. Yes. Uh. 857 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:03,360 Speaker 1: And this is why we also wanted to put this 858 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,880 Speaker 1: in our book club because it is a really good 859 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:08,879 Speaker 1: book club read that. It is interactive and you can 860 00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 1: do discussions as she has all of the added addendums 861 00:49:12,560 --> 00:49:15,840 Speaker 1: to it. Um. She brings in so many activists that 862 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,920 Speaker 1: she knows into the book, bringing quotes in little interviews 863 00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:21,120 Speaker 1: and tells you where to follow them. I followed a few, 864 00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:23,080 Speaker 1: and I was like, way, I followed it. We followed 865 00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:25,279 Speaker 1: a few before realizing they were all connected, Like look 866 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:29,239 Speaker 1: at that. Loving it. She has an amazing amount of resources. 867 00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: She does a great job in tapping in on the 868 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:35,080 Speaker 1: different communities, really making sure that we are appreciating and 869 00:49:35,160 --> 00:49:38,600 Speaker 1: acknowledging the indigenous community who have been at the forefront 870 00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:42,000 Speaker 1: of this conversation because it is so directly impacted them 871 00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:44,759 Speaker 1: and continues to harm them today, which we need to 872 00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:48,200 Speaker 1: keep talking about forever out always, And she does an 873 00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:52,040 Speaker 1: amazing job and making it seem attainable, like these goals 874 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:57,040 Speaker 1: are attainable. Yeah, it's it's fantastic. Um, go check it 875 00:49:57,040 --> 00:50:00,880 Speaker 1: out if you haven't already. In the meantime, as always, 876 00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:02,880 Speaker 1: if you have a book you would like to suggest, 877 00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:04,719 Speaker 1: we would love to hear it. You can email us 878 00:50:04,719 --> 00:50:06,879 Speaker 1: at stuff India, mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. 879 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:08,960 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom stub podcast 880 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:10,960 Speaker 1: or on Instagram at stuff I Never Told You Things. 881 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:14,239 Speaker 1: It's always to have super producer Christina. Thank you and 882 00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:16,480 Speaker 1: thanks to you for listening Stuff I Never Told You 883 00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:18,440 Speaker 1: his protection of I High Radio more podcast on my 884 00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio because at the Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 885 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:22,240 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite ships.