Resources

Environmentalism’s Racist History

This article in the New Yorker discusses the how racist ideologies are intertwined with the creation of the conservation movement in the early 20th century. It also provides historical links to the present that show how the environmental movement has not focused on the needs of communities of color. For more read here.

The Environmental Movement Needs to Reckon with Its Racist History

This article calls for the contemporary environmental movement to address a deeply imbedded history of racism, which dates back to early conservationists, like John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt, who were also white supremacists. They also detail the history of the environmental justice movement and how contemporary environmental organizations and policy goals need to do more to address the tenants of environmental justice. For more read here.

‘Bees, not refugees’: the environmentalist roots of anti-immigrant bigotry

This article discusses a long history of “eco-xenophobia” in America by drawing connections between the motivations behind the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, anti-immigration sentiments in the Sierra Club and early conservationists. For more read here.

Redwoods and Hitler: the link between nature conservation and the eugenics movement

This article explores the often-overlooked links between early 20th century conservation and eugenics. They discuss how three prominent conservationists, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Madison Grant and John C. Merriam, who were responsible for the preservation of the redwoods in California, were also leading figures in eugenic thought. For example, Madison Grant wrote a book called “The Passing of the Great Race”, which Hitler later referred to as his “bible”. For more read here.

What Does It Mean to Decolonize Design?

This article defines decolonization and offers suggestions on how those in the design industry can engage in decolonization practices through their work. The author also provides a list of resources for further reading on the subject. For more read here.

Shenandoah National Park Is Confronting Its History

This articles discusses the history of racism and exclusion in American National Parks, in particular at Shenandoah National Park, which had segregated facilities under Jim Crow Laws. The author provides examples of how the National Parks Service is beginning to reckon with this long history of exclusion in their efforts to make National Parks for inclusive. For more read here.

Younger, college-educated black Americans are most likely to feel need to ‘code-switch’

This article explores data on code-switching from the Pew Research Center, breaking it down by race and education level. For more read here.

“Now You Can’t Just Do Nothing”: Unsettling the Settler Self within Social Studies Education

This article shows how social science education often reinforces settler-colonial narratives and provides tools for how educators can work to “unsettle” this narrative in their teaching by challenging the way Indigenous history is taught and reckoning with their own personal connections to settler-colonialism. For more read here.

Color Brave Space – How To Run a Better Equity Focused Meeting

This resource from Equity Matters provides a framework for how to create a equitable community norms in a meeting space. They argue that standard “safe space” norms for meeting spaces end up maintaining existing norms making white participants too comfortable, rather than challenging them to create an equitable environment. For more read here.

Native Knowledge: What Ecologists Are Learning from Indigenous People

This article explores how scientists are increasingly learning from Traditional Ecological Knowledge to understand how climate change is effecting the natural world. They provide examples of collaborations between scientists and indigenous communities and show how ecological research could benefit from using a more holistic lens. For more read here.

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