Racial Disparities in the Environmental Movement

Dr. Benjamin Chavis initially coined the term ‘environmental racism,’ to describe policies or practices that contribute to environmental inequities for individuals and communities of color (NMU, 2020). Despite being disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change, low-income Black and Brown communities are often rendered invisible in Environmental Justice movements and left to shoulder the burden of Environmental Racism.

This resource includes a pre-work activity and two exercises to foster a foundational understanding of environmental racism and the impact on the conservation and environmental movement. The exercises can be facilitated by an Executive Director or DEI lead for the full staff or the DEI committee across multiple sessions. It can also be completed individually.

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Racial Disparities in the Environmental Movement

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Contact: Cairá Lee Conner-Ware, TREC

Background Image: Raincoast Conservation Foundation | Jamen Rhodes

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