Linking Social Justice and Environmentalism

From the Green Reps June newsletter:

The hearts of the Green Reps Working Group are with the members of our community and nation who are suffering from the effects of oppression, racism, and violence.

We’ve watched an outpouring of pain and grief across the globe over systemic racism and police brutality against people of color, as protestors organize to confront these injustices and continue the work of the Black Lives Matter movement.

We recognize and take seriously the intersection of environmental justice and social justice issues. We want our community to know that we stand in solidarity with those of you who feel especially vulnerable in the current climate. We also recognize and take seriously our role as advocates, liaisons, and teachers who champion sustainability, relay the needs of our community to University leadership, and educate and raise awareness.

In the spirit of making connections, fostering conversations, and taking collective action toward building a more equitable world, we wanted to take this opportunity to share a few resources with you:

• This list of Black-owned restaurants in Rochester
• This directory of Black-owned businesses in Rochester
• This article from Grist, plus a list of environmental and climate justice resources from the NAACP and the Washington Environmental Council
• This June 4th webinar titled Race and the Environmental Movement: History and Legacies has reached its registration limit, but a recording may become available later (we’ll keep you posted)

We are looking at ways to explore themes of environmental and social justice in upcoming issues of the newsletter. If you have ideas of how we as Green Reps can engage with this work, please reach out at GreenReps@rochester.edu.