The second installment in the blog series about the intersection between race and environmentalism
Intersectionality is important in any social and environmental issue. But what does it mean to be “intersectional” exactly?
A person is not just one thing. I am not just a Floridian. I am not just a woman. I am not just a college student. I am all, and more. As I am sure you can identify with numerous identities. You might be a father or a sister or an immigrant. Intersectionality recognizes those identities and recognizes the privileges and potential oppression that can come with those identities. A little over 30 years ago, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term to further describe the oppression of Black women and how their experience wasn’t just because of one of their identities but a mix of their race and their gender expression.
So, how does thinking intersectionality relate to being an environmentalist?
One thing I love so much about environmentalism is that as environmentalists, we fight for issues that encompass so many different things. My parents never thought they were environmentalists before they realized that fighting for people’s rights to clean air and clean water was a part of the environmental movement. The environment is a tool to push for many social problems and that is why Intersectional Environmentalism is so important. Protecting the environment just for fun is not what we do. We protect it so that everybody, no matter what their background is, can have equal access to what they deserve. We protect so that they can survive in a healthy and sustainable society. Society and the environment are linked in the most extraordinary way. A simple example of this is capitalism and the international push for economic growth in all sectors. When society values money more than they do social progress, the environment suffers.
Secondly, thinking intersectionally is instrumental when creating solutions to environmental problems. The solution for pollution in America will be very different as a potential solution for a community in India or Africa. Although we are all human beings, people in different areas have different values and different priorities. Recognizing these differences and values that come along with a person’s identity is the first step in achieving climate solutions that can benefit the world at large.
Fighting for the environment is not a privilege that everyone is able to hold. After reading that you might be thinking: “a privilege?? Everyone should be fighting for the planet that they live on!” Although that should be the case, putting energy toward something that goes beyond finding a job that creates financial security, or affording a bus pass so that you can access fresh food that is 20 miles away from your house is not a luxury that everyone has. As an environmentalist, I recognize that I have the ability to fight for things that some people cannot fight for. This is a part of intersectional environmentalism.
Written by Dominique Agnew, Cornell University Class of 2021, Climate Justice Now Intern