The fourth and most likely final installment of the blog series about the intersection between race and the environmental movement.
I have been in my fair share of programs dedicated to increasing diversity in certain areas of academia. I was able to visit Cornell and be a part of an amazing environmental internship program during my freshman and sophomore year of college because of diversity programs. Because of these programs, I was able to meet people that I probably never would’ve met otherwise. But did these programs have an actual effect on the diversity of Cornell or the environmental movement? I am not so sure. And here’s why.
One thing I have learned while being a part of these diversity programs is that sometimes you can feel like a token person. It can feel like the program didn’t choose you because of your potential or talent, but because they want to increase their “ethnic” numbers and appease the so-called higher-ups. It is great that they are trying to increase their diversity but if I don’t feel valued beyond the color of my skin it can lead to a lot of problems, such as imposter syndrome.
Image from College Confidential
Another reason I am not sure if these programs make a big impact on the actual diversity of the environmental movement is that with these programs they are directing their attention to students. This initiative is great, however, I believe that without educating the leaders of these national environmental organizations and the protest organizers, diversity will not be as valued as it should be.
But why is diversity important in the environmental movement?
Biodiversity is one of the biggest facets of environmentalism. If I asked an environmentalist why biodiversity is important in nature their answer would probably have something to do with the important role each animal has in nature and what would happen if their role was altered or disappeared in its entirety. That’s similar to why diversity is important in social and environmental movements. Each person has different things to offer. They bring about different solutions and different problems that their peers potentially wouldn’t even consider. According to a publication by Emily Enderle from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies “Diversity is about strengthening the movement we are dedicated to by making it resilient and capable of adapting, regardless of what we face in the future. Widespread understanding of the values that diversity can provide is essential to enhancing our collective effort and the world, yet such understanding is still absent in far too many places.“
I think that people underestimate their power to increase diversity in areas that need change. As a black woman, I would probably not have known I was passionate about the environment if I did not have the chance to take environmental classes in high school or talked to my next-door neighbor about her love for fishing and gardening. Pushing for education reforms can impact so many people so if you have the power to push for these reforms, do it! It can make such a difference. Another way is just by talking to different people and exposing them to different ideas and passions. It is not uncommon for people to be exposed and hear about the same things over and over and over again in certain neighborhoods or communities. Diving deep into the interests of other people is a great way of hearing about what else is out there.
You have the opportunity to increase diversity in environmental justice! Make the movement we care about so much, represent the people that we are fighting for.
Written by Dominique Agnew, Cornell University Senior, Climate Justice Now Intern