Resources

7 Myths About Cultural Appropriation Debunked!

MTV’s Francesca Ramsey provides a succinct explanation of what constitutes cultural appropriation, when it is harmful, and why it is harmful. This video is great for folks who don’t have time or bandwidth to dig into reading on the subject, and simply want a short explanation. That said, this video should be the beginning of your journey (not the end). Watch it here.

“Native Re-Appropriations” Interview with Adrienne Keene

In this video, Professor Adrienne Keene explains the impact of the appropriation of native iconography and cultural resources on indigenous people. This video is useful for outdoor organizations and camps who historically or contemporarily practice indigenous rituals, utilize indigenous costumes or customs, or utilize indigenous iconography. Watch the video here.

Opportunities for white people in the fight for racial justice-moving from actor–>ally–>accomplice

This is one of many comprehensive toolkits that lays out concrete actions white folks can take in the fight for racial justice. We like it because it makes a great distinction between actor, ally, and accomplice, which is increasingly important in an era where the word “ally” seems to be overused and diluted. It also has 12 categories that folks can focus on in their journey from actor to ally to accomplice. Easy to navigate and very useful. Read more here.

Diversity Derailed: Limited Demand, Effort and Results in Environmental C-Suite Searches

In its most recent report (October 2016), Green 2.0 researches executive search firms and their approach to supporting the green sector with hiring. The upshot is that search firms—upon whom big green organizations are increasingly relying to fill leadership positions—have neither valued nor integrated diversity into their hiring priorities. Though this study is on search firms, the full report and the checklist contain some useful recruiting and hiring tips for all organizations in the conservation and environmental sector. Read more here.

Environmentalism was once a social justice movement: it can be again

This Atlantic piece investigates environmental and social justice history in the United States to argue that environmental and social justice are inextricably intertwined and have always been. In this essay Jedediah Purdy claims that the heroes of environmentalism actually place human interests at the core of their movements. Read more here.

Cluster Hiring and Diversity

The concept of cluster hiring originates in academia, where increasingly, universities hire multiple scholars into one or more departments based on shared, interdisciplinary research interests. Cluster hiring since been interpreted to mean hiring multiple people from a specific identity (women, people of color) at a time. This has been shown to increase gender and ethnic diversity. This article discusses the benefits of cluster hiring in academia. Read more here.

Transgender vs. Transgendered

This article describes how “transgendered” is inaccurate language – gender identity is not something that happens to a person, but instead central to their identity. Read more here.

Implicit Bias in the Presidential Debate

john a. powell describes the relationship between racism and implicit bias. He describes that, “What’s critical in the conversation around policing and implicit bias, as well as all Americans and implicit bias, is to understand that while implicit bias is not the same as racism, the results of implicit bias can still produce deeply racialized outcomes. Even if the conscious mind rejects racism, the unconscious may still hold biases. And these biases are even stronger when we are under stress.” Read more here.

6 More Landmarks That Should Have Their Indigenous Names Restored

Toponymns, or the story behind naming peaks, rivers, and parks, is one way to understand the history of place. Julian Brave Noisecat discusses 6 landmarks whose names should be changed back to their indigenous name. Read here.

Blackfeet Interpretations of Glacier National Park

Brad Hall, an interpreter at Glacier National Park and member of the Blackfeet Tribe, discusses his complicated relationship to the park, as well as the ways that Blackfeet were and continue to be excluded from the park.

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