Both/And/All - Environmentalism and Racial Justice
Rinku
For this Earth Day, I've decided to repost my talk for the Bioneers conference in 2015. I appreciate Bioneers for the innovative, dedicated community they bring together every year, and I really appreciated the chance to think deeply about how I feel about the earth. I talk about my evolution from being a bad environmentalist (thanks to Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist for the idea) to being a better one, and how I wish that white environmentalists would do the same kind of work on racial justice. I lay out an environmental argument for racial justice, and some agreements to bring our movements together to save both the earth and humanity.
This is also one of the most personal talks I've ever given, as I consider the role of the earth as healer during my saddest, loneliest or most anxious periods. Watching it again now, I also remember my friend Becky Tarbotton, environmental fighter extraordinaire, whom I miss so much.
After I post this, I'm going for a walk on the beach.
