reading

Toward a Wider View of “Nature Writing”

Catherine Buni gives an overview of how environmental literature has historically been dominated by whiteness, and then advocates for a broader understanding of environmental literature by introducing the voices of several authors and thinkers of color from the past and present. Read here.

Diversity and the Conservation Movement

Chandra Smith, Marcelo Bonta, and Tony DeFalco compiled a comprehensive report on the conservation movement in respect to diversity and inclusion. They provide an overview of the challenges, suggest best practices, and provide case studies for successful efforts. Read here.

Madness & Oppression

The people at the Icarus Project put together this mapping tool for anyone to map out how oppression impacts their health.

In the words of the authors, “Mad Maps are documents that we create for ourselves as reminders of our goals, what is important to us, our personal signs of struggle, and our strategies for self-determined well-being.”

You an access the book for free here or, please consider, paying $8 for this resource here.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Vocabulary

We have compiled this vocabulary sheet to provide you with some basic definitions of key words and phrases. This vocabulary sheet represents how we at the Avarna Group commonly talk about DEIJ concepts and are a reflection of our learning over the years. However, this is not meant to be a definitive list and we have provided other resources in this vocabulary sheet that provide more definitions, particularly from impacted communities themselves. Moreover, language and ideas move faster than we have capacity to update this sheet. Please use this information as a starting point for understanding rather than a definitive resource.

Privilege 101: A quick and dirty guide

This article from Everyday Feminism outlines the basics of privilege and how it manifests. Read online here.

Verde Paper: Latino Perspectives on Conservation Leadership

After 18 months of research, La Tierra Madre reports out on some common themes in the Latino conservation community and provides insights on successful Latino engagement in conservation, either within Latino communities or between mainstream conservation efforts and Latino communities. Access here.

A Path to Environmentalism

Black Girl Dangerous contributor, Jasmine Kumalah, succinctly and precisely discusses her own path to environmentalism, which includes understanding the complexity of human relationships to the environment and social hierarchies. Read here.

Dude Grades: A Look at Sexism in Climbing Grades

A look at how men have dominated the rating system in climbing and how the impacts women or more accurately, people who do not have a “typical” male body (if there even is such a thing). Read here.

White Fragility

Robin DiAngelo discusses the concept white fragility, which refers to, “a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves.” DiAngelo’s work is often cited when explaining white reactions to issues surrounding race.

‘We need co-conspirators, not allies’: how white Americans can fight racism

In the wake of racial violence in 2015, activists call for white co-conspirators, not allies. Allyship implies a mutually beneficial benefit and support one another; however, one protestor argues that the black community is not obligated to support the white community. Instead, they urge both black and white communities to work towards a common goal: racial justice. Read here.

NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice for Chief Diversity Officers

The National Association of Diversity Officers in High Education has created this useful guide that covers everything from the need for a Chief Diversity Officer position to the scope of that person’s responsibilities and areas of competency. Though geared toward institutions of higher education, this guide is useful for any organization seeking to hire a Chief Diversity Officer. Read more here.

Are you an environmentalist or do you work for a living?

Richard White explores the tension between people who identify as environmentalists and outdoor recreationists with those who work in the same places (namely, loggers and miners). In this exploration, he unveils contradictions that lie within the American environmental consciousness. Read here.