Gaining Familiarity

In my country:

Latinx Americans are twice as likely as their white counterparts to face toxic pollution

Black men are overrepresented by a factor of three in our criminal “justice” institution

And colonialism forced Indigenous Nations onto contaminated land as a “solution”

It’s time to dismantle disparate distribution

In this world:

It is assumed that women, queer folx, disabled people, children, and men of Color will take a place of submission

Acknowledging marginalised stakeholders somehow requires someone else’s permission

Concern for non-human animals and the needs of future generations seems a guaranteed omission

It’s time to realise radical recognition

In our communities:

No longer are we willing to wait for change, breath bated in anticipation

Because we know that we have had to fight for every stage of emancipation

And making space for equitable decision-making is an ally’s true occupation

It’s time to promote public participation

Welcome to “Climates of Resistance”

This class is inspired

by America’s March on Washington and Australia’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy
legislative protests that have left us a legacy

by disabled organisers at the 504 Sit-In
demonstrating how good laws are written

by the Black trans womxn of Stonewall
They who planted seeds that have grown, tall
in the face of oppression, knowing the persistence of resistance isn’t in question

by the Freedom Riders, providers of a history
promising us the mystery of justice,
and that it’s not just us

As the Indigenous youth of Standing Rock create a landing block for defiance

We know diversity
doesn’t mean adversity

Struggles are connected,
wrongs must be corrected,
rights can be collected

When we follow in the wake of these giants

And that is what this class means to do

To uncover the patriarchal white supremacy that exists
While acknowledging the power within us that resists

We use art to teach
Because we know art can reach

The parts of us others would have silenced –
Knowing they’re the parts of us able to end this violence

We were born into a world decayed

But from the moment we were born, we remade it

Even as we were conceived, we swayed it

And now the ideas we conceive can aid it

Because this world is ill-conceived

But we believe

We can unweave the mess
We can achieve redress
We can perceive success

And that is what we swear today

Promising we can share a way
To a future where we care to play
By rules that let us dare to say:

“Is this a class or a movement?”

This is our existence.
This is our insistence.
Welcome, to “Climates of Resistance”.

This course is about environmental racism, taught through the lens of environmental justice. For starters, then: what do these two terms mean?

Racism is everywhere, in all of our systems. That includes environmental policies and planning.

In the United States, for example, landfills, factories, and toxic areas are likely to be located near predominantly Black, Indigenous, and communities of colour. At the same time, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour are more likely than their white counterparts to live in a food desert – an area with limited access to nutritious and affordable food.

Racism impacts your environmental risk and your environmental access. Simply put, that’s environmental racism.

As a field of study, environmental justice works to understand those patterns. Theories of justice are concerned with both outcomes and processes - what does the world look like, and why? How did it get that way? Why does it stay that way? What could change it?

Because we don’t just want to study things that are unfair. Environmental justice is also a framework for action. It is a movement that addresses environmental racism. Environmental justice is about ensuring that human interaction with nature is equitable. Through environmental justice, communities claim power to change unjust outcomes and demand fairer processes.

When we work on environmental justice, we can think about three main issues:

1. Distribution. Who is benefitting from the environment? Who is carrying environmental costs? Those are usually different groups – the people emitting the most carbon and contributing most to climate change, for example, are the least vulnerable to its negative impacts like sea level rise, extreme weather, and pollution.

2. Recognition. Who are we thinking about when we make environmental policies? Corporate elites or those who are marginalised? Citizens of our own country, or all persons? Only those alive today, or also future generations? And what about non-human animals and nature itself?

3. Participation. Who gets to make decisions about nature and resource use? Who is excluded from decision-making and the corridors of power? How can we create not only outcomes but also processes that recognise the diversity of stakeholders and their contributions?

Racism is everywhere. But it doesn’t have to be. Environmental justice is about changing that reality.

As we begin exploring complex issues that can be challenging, I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on what anti-racist learning can look like, and highlight some tools on the course website to aid this process.

This class is designed to help us critically reflect on deeply personal, political subjects. Tackling topics of racism, bias, and inequality isn’t always very fun - especially when we start to realise the ways we benefit from injustice and inadvertently support oppression. You’re probably going to have a few uncomfortable moments. That’s okay. We’re here to learn together and support each other as we figure things out.

One of the first things we’ll do as a class is create guidelines for our conversations. We’ll talk openly and decide together how we want to address concerns about biased language, disagreements between us, and other issues that arise.

A few starting ideas that are important to remember:

We’re all learning. None of us are experts. We come to this class knowing a lot based on our own experience, but missing a lot as well. We’ll learn best if we respectful share our own perspectives while valuing others, and always acknowledging the reality of systemic injustice.

We’re all oppressed. Each one of us has some part of our identity that is disadvantaged in this world. But we’re all also oppressor. We all have aspects that benefit us, relative to others. We need to recognise that duality, and actively empower ourselves to use our privilege without abusing it.

We’re all imperfect. We’re going to mess up. That includes me. We are so surrounded by these issues that we all hold prejudices, even if they’re unintentional and unconscious. We need to work to confront and unlearn them - and we want this class to be a place where we hold each other accountable, without attacking people for mistakes.

We’re all practicing. Anti-racism is a lifelong process of learning and growing, no matter who we are. We’re not going to suddenly arrive at a magical destination at the end of this class, and have sorted ourselves out. But together, we can get in the habit of practicing often, and hopefully, getting really good.

The “Course Policies” page on our class website has more details about anti-racist learning, and resources to help us identify and rectify our own language, which can accidentally enforce everyday ableism and bias.

If at any time in this course you experience or witness bias, are concerned with any language being used, or are trying to figure something out, the website also has a Feedback Form and Concern Card. This can be entirely anonymous. Please use it anytime you aren’t sure, or would like to bring attention to a problem. There is also an Anonymous Ask & Answer Board on the website. Use that page to ask clarifying questions about terms and get clarity on anything you have always wondered about but been a bit hesitant to ask. The Teaching Team will regularly reply, and we’ll sign our names - but you can also answer each others’ questions, anonymously if you like, to share wider perspectives.

I hold open office hours. Times are posted in my Virtual Office, where you can also explore other resources and get to know me a little better. My office hours are open to everyone - you don’t have to be formally enrolled in my Syracuse class to come. And my office hours are for anything you want to talk through; it doesn’t have to be obviously connected to this class. If my usual times don’t work for you, please just email, and we’ll find a time.

Lastly: I know there are things I could be doing better. Please always feel free to tell me, and thank you for your patience and your guidance as I keep exploring anti-racism and how to be a better ally. I feel really honoured to be learning from you, and I’m grateful for your commitment to this course.