Women From The United States

"Look, it was not the Black, the savages or the Indians who brought about a government such as the Hitler regime...I think after four, almost five hundred years of European domination that this next period would be one of revolt against European domination. And there are lots of lives being lost in Nicaragua and these other places."

"In 1929, the Wall Street crash; in 1932, the closing of all the banks... My grandfather lost some money in one of them, and he didn’t tell anybody. The person he told, I mean...he came over to me and told me, he says, “I’ve lost everything I have.” And he was already about, I guess, 65, close to 70. So, I don’t know, I felt that had an awful effect on me."

"I felt at first that I was more of an anarchist than anything else. And this came from the anarchist movement here;...The Magonistas, at one time, had about...I think they had about thirty or forty papers throughout south Texas, yes. And I remember the Wobblies, too. I know Mother Flor and Mother Jones were from here, from what I have read, so they work. Then you had some labor unions here. Not too many, but you did have railroad workers; and at that time, there were quite a number of railroad workers; and at that time, there were quite a number of railroad workers who were Mexicans."

"I had become very, very interested in the labor movement. I mean, I had...first there were the anarchistas and so forth. And then you had, also, the influence in the CTM [Confederacion de Trabajadores de Mexico]."

"The Klan was very, very strong here, particularly on this side of town."

"What really kept us (our neighborhood) together was the church – St. Agnes."

"Remember this – we didn’t have radios, we didn’t have this, we didn’t have that, we didn’t have a lot of things. So, this going to the plaza and just listening...(to people) speak to a crowd"

"It’s only recently that I have been able to talk about some of the things that I saw here. I mean as far as poverty – because it was just too difficult."

"Remember, at that time here, ’24, the Palmer raids, the Ku Klux Klan"

"El Espanol que yo hablaba era un Espanol que los Conquistadores trajeron aqui, verdad, porque era “vide por vi; ansina por asi”, and when I went to school and started to learn Spanish, I had an awful time, because some of these teachers were not from the city or from Texas. They were from the east, you see. And they’d tell me, “Senorita, usted no sabe hablar el Espanol, verdad?” And they mixed it up with this Texas-Mex and that sort of thing."

"I just have a feeling, a very strong feeling, that if ever this world is civilized, that it would be more the work of women."

"It wasn’t until the ‘30s that Spanish began to be taught in the schools – in the high schools. And there was a woman by the name of Esther Caravajal who wrote one of the first text books for the teaching of Spanish in the schools here."

"I don’t think that women will ever be completely and totally free – or any of the minorities – until you have socialism."

"Living without freedom is so deeply corrosive not only to society but to the human spirit. In a certain sense, I am multi-cultural, but I am not culturally relative."

"It is time to dismantle and reflect on what environmentalism means and reclaim the term so that it is inclusive of historically excluded and underrepresented people."

"Our identities flow through our politics, our advocacy, what we care about-whether we realize it or not."

"it's truly my biggest hope that one day in the future we won't need to preface "environmentalism" with the word "intersectional"; we won't need to create separate safe spaces and curriculums that seek to be inclusive. One day I hope that when people think of an environmentalist, they'll automatically envision a person who cares very deeply about both people and planet."

"Those least responsible for the climate crisis are bearing the brunt of it."

"Unfortunately, as with other animals, some humans are endangered and facing a multitude of social and environmental injustices that impact their ability to not only survive but also thrive in liberation and joy. Why, then, are conservation efforts not extended to the protection of endangered humans and their human rights? This is a question I've struggled with as a Black environmentalist for years, because in my environmental practice, caring for the earth means caring for its people."

"Social injustice and environmental injustice are fueled by the same flame: the undervaluing, commodification, and exploitation of all forms of life and natural resources, from the smallest blade of grass to those living in poverty and oppressed people worldwide. It's a point that many ecofeminists, environmental justice scholars and leaders, Indigenous rights and land sovereignty advocates, and climate politicians have argued for decades, but it hasn't been embedded deeply enough in modern environmental education."

"The future can and will be intersectional."

"I didn't want to be an "environmentalist" if that meant I had to choose between racial progress and environmental progress."

"Environmentalists for Black Lives Matter” “Social justice cannot wait,” the caption stated. “It is not an optional ‘add-on’ to environmentalism.” “It is unfair to opt in and out of caring about racial injustices when many of us cannot."

"Hazel M. Johnson's work helped lay the groundwork for climate justice around the world, as well as for an intersectional approach to environmentalism. It's important to also note that she was met with sexism, racism, and classism throughout her career, and has been omitted from many environmental textbooks. As intersectional environmentalists, we are now presented with the opportunity to recreate what environmental education should look like, and we can work together to honor stories like Johnson's to ensure that her legacy, and those of other BIPOC environmentalists, lives on...Another pivotal voice in environmental justice history is its "father," as he's often dubbed, Dr. Robert Bullard."

"We should care about the protection of people as much as we care about the protection of our planet-to me, these fights are the same. As a society, we often forget that humans are a part of our global ecosystem and that we don't exist separately from nature; we coexist with it each and every day."

"What is the impact of having large-scale environmental movements that mostly exclude the voices of the underrepresented and people of color?"

"A mentor of mine once said, "Even the revolution needs accountants." This made me laugh, but it's true! We can each contribute our skills in some way."

"Together, we can transform the future of environmentalism and, with collective action, spread our message across the globe and change enough hearts and minds to positively alter the future."

"Oprah 100%, I’ve always looked up to her and adore her so much."

"For someone who is just getting started, they can start with educating themselves and reading literature about environmental justice and allyship."

"I got the term “Intersectional” from Intersectional Feminism*, which is a type of feminism that I identify with. I feel like intersectional feminism shouldn’t have to exist, nor intersectional environmentalism, but because some people in both circles don’t factor in how race and culture can play a significant role in how people are treated or interact with the environment, it needs to be there. For example, people of colour are more likely to live next to toxic waste sites or in areas with higher levels of water and air pollution. I’ve spent the past 6 years in Environmental circles and have been frustrated at times by the lack of acknowledgement of its importance, so I felt like I needed to give words to the type of environmentalism that I practice and would hope all environmentalists adopt."

"I studied Environmental Science and would much rather focus on urgently addressing the climate crisis, but I cannot when I’m fearful for my life and that of those who look like me. I would much rather dedicate my life to fighting against extractive industries than fight for my right to exist in this world. I wish that was just understood as an inherent principle in society."

"I was so frustrated during this second wave of the Black Lives Matter movement [in the Spring of 2020] because the environmental community was largely silent. So I posted the Environmentalists for Black Lives Matter graphic, along with my definition of intersectional environmentalism, and also an intersectional environmentalist pledge and I put it out there."

"If you look at the 1960s and 1970s, there was the civil rights movement, and then there was the environmental movement right after, which was largely white-led. They appropriated the same tactics that they learned from civil rights protestors. And then, of course, we have the first Earth Day, which is super amazing, but if you look at pictures, you see white people wearing headdresses. And now we’re at a different point in history where we have in 2019 and early 2020, the biggest climate marches, and then right after that, side by side, we have another civil rights movement happening at the same time."

"It’s important for people to realize that if they want to use their privilege in the right way, amplify the voices of the people who have historically been unheard."

"We know it’s going to take all of us and not just a select few."

"Environmentalism was largely a white, middle- and upper-class movement that wasn’t super intersectional. Then after that, in the 80s, we see an emergence of a primarily BIPOC-led environmental justice movement that is trying to address some of the inequity in environmental policy that was really facing Black and brown communities. I think having that context would be really important because the way that it was taught to me was like, ‘there was this environmental movement and it just happened,’ but no kind of nod to the civil rights movement."

"I would say learning is the first step and, honestly, the most fun step. Learning about the history of the environmental justice movement and learning about those cool heroes who deserve to have their place in environmental history. It’s also really important for folks to figure out and get involved with what’s going on in their local communities. You might be surprised, if say, thirty minutes down the highway the air pollution is completely different. Overall, people should look at their local communities, educate themselves, and really have fun with it."

"I think when a lot of people learn about environmental racism, they think, “How can I save these people?” But they don’t think about “What have I been ignoring to allow this to happen?”"

"I had to leave my community in order to have access to the right education, nature, green spaces, clean air. And I think that instilled something in me early on."

"It doesn’t matter if you’re living in a city, you’re still in nature. A lot of white environmentalists still view nature as something that they go to, instead of thinking, nature is all around me. And that means that nature is also all around these different communities of colour, even if they’re living in a city."

"If we combine social justice efforts with environmental awareness efforts, we will harness enough power, representation, and momentum to have a shot at protecting our planet and creating equity at the same time."

"The lack of representation of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, low-income, LGBTQ+, disabled, and other marginalized voices has led to an ineffective form of mainstream environmentalism that doesn't truly stand for the liberation of all people and the planet."

"it's evident that social justice and environmentalism are deeply intertwined and that addressing this interconnection is crucial for attaining justice for both people and planet."

"STUDY HISTORY AND POLITICAL THEORY RELENTLESSLY. We do ourselves no favors by being ignorant of the past experiences and summations of those who came before us."

"New possibilities develop through taking action. We can't conjure strategy out of isolation;"

"Life runs much faster than our ability to record and interpret it."

"The development from uprising to revolution is never linear or smooth. Ebb must follow surge, yielding ground temporarily in order to consolidate power for the next wave."

"what is certain is that the structural crises and inequalities that gave rise to the global uprisings in the first place will only intensify."

"Most of us in the US don't understand populism or many other concepts relevant to political struggle. Even those of us who are active lag far behind much of the world in our grasp of theory-we don't recognize views as coherent lines, and therefore we're incapable of calling them by name, much less foreseeing their far-ranging implications. But we can't keep blithely disdaining the use of "jargon." These words may feel cumbersome and persnickety in our casual, 140-characters-or-less, news-o-tainment culture, but their precision allows us to conceptualize, identify, and decide to accept or reject ideological and political phenomena that could make all the difference to our eventual success or failure."