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Privileged environmentalists think they can easily find solutions for critical issues they can’t relate to. We must shift our focus from traditional colonial white male perspectives and grant the leadership of climate change solutions to people of color.

The environmental crisis faces us all but the direct consequences of climate change do not hurt everyone equally. They fall hardest on predominantly low-income, Black and Indigenous people and other communities of color. Creating liveable spaces for the Syracuse community altogether means prioritizing the voices of communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation.

When asked about issues that are overlooked, Syracuse resident and mother Princetina Conklin explained, “there’s really no opportunities” for kids when high school ends. Social security means everything for environmental progression in a city that leads the nation in childhood poverty for populations over 100,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People spending every waking hour working to put food on the table and provide basic needs for their children do not have the luxury of free time to organize against their oppressors. Action must be taken to help stop vicious cycles of intentional neglect and create genuine partnerships to protect and project marginalized community members’ voices.

As a university with ample resources, SU needs to ensure that job opportunities within communities are made available for disenfranchised individuals. With more programs available, people concerned about their health because of their constant environment, would have a fighting chance to create generational stability for their families. Redistributing funds that go to efforts like the John A. Lally Athletic Complex, would create room for programs set up to benefit the community. Students and faculty can talk to bosses and coworkers about community outreach programs or have conversations amongst peers about different ways to participate. They could also speak with professors about connections they may have with organizations pushing for social and environmental justice.

Most importantly, hold organizations and institutions accountable. Princetina Conklin called on surrounding schools (Syracuse University, SUNY ESF, SUNY Upstate and Le Moyne) to “make it more publicly known” what types of financial assets they possess to help impoverished communities gain education, giving room for improved quality of life.

One thing to remember in this process is that we don’t all have to be scientists to be environmentalists. Taking action in ways that make you happy and using the skill sets you possess makes you an integral piece of the puzzle. Dr. Lemir Teron of SUNY ESF reminds us to use these unique skills while simultaneously “organically” participating in the community: be aware, an active member and a listener.

Natè Davis, a lifelong Syracuse resident, stressed the importance of maintaining good character as a collaborator. As active community participants, you need to allow individuals experiencing pain to guide you through healthy allyship. This includes moving through the process of amplifying ignored voices with love.

Teron also said we, as students, can be non-extractive partners within the community. First, students can look for groups that may not present a focus in environmental justice but indirectly provide such services. An important part of public health is environmental safety. He highlighted FORCE (Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment), which provides affordable services such as CPR training and community preparedness. Numerous organizations provide indirect yet important environmental services around the city. Information access to organizations, like FORCE, that provide vital services, grant money and other resources is a human right and advocacy around it must be amplified.

Incredible change happens when communities led by people of color have the voice that has historically been stripped from them. This summer, New York state returned over a thousand acres of land to the Onondaga Nation. It cannot be overstated how remarkable this step is for local ecology and human health. More importantly, this would not have been possible without relentless leadership from members of the Onondaga Nation and fierce community action. White environmental activists, advantageous researchers and the media have been extractive in covering the violent theft of Haudenosaunee land for years. But it was not until the voices of the harmed were prioritized that change came.

In similar efforts, the founder of Runners for Public Lands, Dr. Vic Thasiah, gave an example of a community rallying around the leadership of people of color in the westside area of Ventura, CA. Their goal is to shut down an environmentally racist proposal to expand an existing gas compressor deliberately placed in a historically Hispanic/Latin and Black community. From a small grassroots movement, the community, along with the help of Dr. Thasiah’s organization and Westside Clean Air, has disrupted the proposal and gained media attention. Now, they are waiting on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s intervention. There needed to be community voices centered around logic for change to be considered.

Echoing Teron’s earlier detail about being a multifunctional tool in the fight for environmental equity, Thasiah emphasized the importance of gaining support for the movement. He said filmmakers, social workers, people in communications and musicians must actively partake in the push to share power. This, in his valid opinion, is the safest and most secure path to equity.

As a student privileged enough to obtain a higher level education, this story is not mine; I am only the messenger. Social justice is environmental justice and until we take real steps in giving the microphone to our community members who deserve the stage, we will remain in the status quo.

Conor Sarasin is a Junior Environmental Studies Major. His Column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at cjsarasi@syr.edu.

Published on November 1, 2022 at 1:35 am