Photo of activist and eco-communicator Leah Thomas. Photo Credit: Cher Martinez. Photo courtesy of Leah Thomas.

By Karla Mendez

Activist Leah Thomas, who coined the term “intersectional environmentalism”, shares why centering those at the margins is key to building an inclusive and sustainable environmental justice movement.

“I always encourage people to answer the question of who, and not just the what. Who is being impacted?”

— Leah Thomas

Addressing the Lack of Inclusivity in Environmentalism

For some, environmental justice is a new concept that emerged from present-day activism and organizing. However, the fight for environmental justice has a very long history–with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color at the vanguard of the movement. Some of the roots of environmental justice can be traced back to Black American activist Hazel M. Johnson, who was commonly referred to as the “Mother of Environmental Justice.” Johnson dedicated her life to advocating for clean water and air on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. She also collaborated with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to urge President Bill Clinton to pass the Environmental Justice Executive Order 12898, which he signed into law in 1994. Johnson laid the groundwork for future environmental justice advocates, including the work we are seeing today.

While some may think environmental justice and intersectionality are two separate issues, in actuality, they overlap. Emphasizing the importance of examining environmental justice from a multifaceted approach, activist and eco-communicator Leah Thomas pays homage to organizers such as Johnson and the impact on climate change on marginalized communities through her powerful framework of intersectional environmentalism. Inspired by Black feminist legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw and her theory of intersectionality, Thomas defines intersectional environmentalism as an “inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for the protection of both people and the planet.”

Coining the term during the summer of 2020, what started off with Thomas posting the graphic “Environmentalists For Black Lives Matter” on Instagram, has turned into a global movement emphasizing that climate justice is social justice. As the founder of the popular climate justice hub and community Intersectional Environmentalism, Thomas’ approach of intersectional environmentalism is a disruption to the erasure of perspectives and activism of marginalized communities in the fight for environmental justice.

“Intersectional environmentalism’s principal focus is to call attention to social inequalities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and how environmental issues overwhelmingly affect these communities.”

“There is a long and beautiful history of environmental justice, especially in the United States, that followed the Civil Rights Movement”, Thomas said. Black researchers and activists have been calling attention to things like toxic waste sites. People just have not listened to them. There is this depiction in the mainstream of conservation and environmentalism that it means you only go outdoors and summit mountains. However, when you start to unpack that, it is all infused with social justice”, Thomas continued.

“You cannot talk about endangered salmon in a lake in Alaska without talking about the Indigenous people who rely on that salmon for their livelihood. You cannot talk about the creation of national parks without talking about the people you are displacing from those areas. How can you not talk about communities in New Orleans that face immediate impacts of sea-level rising and displacement?”

Thomas’ forthcoming book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, offers a primer on her framework of intersectional environmentalism, examining how no one can be left behind in the movement to radically transform our world for the better.

“Intersectional environmentalism aims to bridge the gap between injustices committed against marginalized communities and the earth and how they are related”, Thomas said. “Intersectional environmentalism’s principal focus is to call attention to social inequalities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and how environmental issues overwhelmingly affect these communities.”

Image of Hazel M. Johnson, the “Mother of Environmental Justice.” Photo Credit: People for Community Recovery. Retrieved from grist.org.

The Unfortunate Realities of Climate Change

The realities of the effects of climate change are undeniable: from record low temperatures in Texas in February 2021 that resulted in millions without power, to the extreme heat that tied last summer with the Dust Bowl for the hottest summer on record in the United States. In both instances, marginalized communities were disproportionately affected. Millions endured the bone-chilling cold weather during the Texas snowstorm, but low-income Texans had to bear the most substantial burdens, with many being Black and Hispanic. Many of the homes Black and Hispanic residents dwell in are more likely to have poor insulation, leaky roofs, and old pipes. In addition, these neighborhoods are in areas that lack access to grocery stores and pharmacies, which is especially troubling given that lack of electricity means what food people have in their refrigerators can spoil.

According to a 2021 report released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), racial and ethnic groups suffer the brunt of adverse health and environmental effects related to worsening climate-driven disasters. Further, the report agrees with other research that marginalized communities will be impacted more severely as they lack the resources to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Moreover, communities who are low-income do not have the resources to relocate due to severe weather, whether it is staying in alternative housing like a hotel to get away from heat waves or extreme cold or transportation needs like vehicle or gas money.

“The future may appear bleak and hopeless but there are still actions we can take to ensure that we protect the people of this planet, especially those most vulnerable to the impacts of a climate crisis that will change the way we all live.”

The effects of climate change are not just limited to damages or loss of homes and belongings. As noted by the EPA, the following will be the six significant impacts of climate change on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities: (1) Air quality and health; (2) Extreme temperature and health; (3) Extreme temperature and labor; (4) Coastal flooding and traffic; (5) Coastal flooding and property; and (6) Inland flooding and property. Unfortunately, Black communities will experience all six effects more than other demographic. This may lead to 41 percent of Black children developing childhood asthma (a 7 percent increase), and 59 percent (a 19 percent increase) are more likely to live in areas where they will be victims of temperature-related deaths.

Even worse, minority and low-income communities are statistically more likely to live in neighborhoods exposed to toxic waste, landfills, highways, and other environmental hazards. According to the United States Oil and Gas Industry, there is a release of 9 million tons of methane gas and other harmful chemicals into the atmosphere every year. Unfortunately, more than one million Black Americans live within a half-mile of natural gas facilities and face a risk above the EPA’s level of concern.

Environmental Racism: The Impact of Hurricane Katrina and the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

Hurricane Katrina survivors sitting on cots after being evacuated from New Orleans to a Red Cross shelter in the Houston Astrodome. Thousands of survivors have been taken to the Astrodome after the Superdome became unsafe following the levee breaks in New Orleans. September 1, 2005. Photo Credit: Andrea Booher/FEMA.

Environmental racism is a term that can be applied to the aforementioned structural inequities. It describes the fact that marginalized communities often live closely to environmentally degraded locations due to racism and other oppressions. The devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 and the lackluster relief response for predominantly low-income Black communities compared to White middle and high-income communities is, unfortunately, one of the most glaring examples of environmental racism in U.S. history.

Environmental racism and injustice were also seen with the Flint, Michigan water crisis of 2014. The crisis in Flint began when city officials decided to change the water supply source from Detroit’s system to that of the Flint River. With officials not treating the water as required nor testing the water supply properly, the poorly planned switch resulted with countless residents suffering from skin rashes, itchy skin, hair loss, and double or triple blood lead levels in children. For months, the residents of Flint tried to speak with government officials about their circumstances, but it was to no avail.

Even when residents brought jugs of discolored and rank-smelling water as evidence, they were told the water was safe, despite its disturbing appearance. Through a legal suit brought against the city and state officials, Flint residents gained access to bottled water delivery and pickup, the replacing of lead pipes, and health programs that would help them contend with the aftermath of the contaminated water. The events that unfolded in Flint and the governmental response were eventually deemed as a result of “systemic racism” by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission.

“We need to start thinking about mitigation and clean up”, Thomas said. “If natural disasters are happening more and will lead to the displacement of people, where can they go, and how can we create infrastructure before these natural disasters occur?”

“Events like Hurricane Katrina can happen more often, and we need to create pathways for cities to move further away from waterways”, she said. “That requires a tremendous amount of infrastructure and local and federal policy changes, but they need to start happening as soon as possible,” she continued.

Intersectional Environmentalism Is the Way Forward

Activist Leah Thomas. Photo Credit: Cher Martinez. Photo courtesy of Leah Thomas.

Intersectional environmentalism can help expose the injustices experienced by marginalized communities. It allows us to understand how environmental, racial, and other social justice issues intersect and affect the most vulnerable. The core tenets of intersectional environmentalism are fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income. It is imperative we embrace and implement intersectional environmentalism and examine the various aspects and facets of the climate crisis.

We also need to seek out and learn from organizations like Thomas’s Intersectional Environmentalist, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Hip Hop Caucus, Black Millennials 4 Flint, Generation Green, Pass the Mic Climate, Climate Justice Alliance, and organizers such as Ugandan climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate, who uplift and center the livelihoods and leadership of those at the margins.

Additionally, mainstream environmental and conservation groups have started to change their organizational tenets to better address the impact that the climate crisis has and will continue to have on Black and Brown communities.

“Organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Sierra Club have started to add new mission statements about environmental and racial justice,” Thomas said. “Environmental organizations know that the population is changing. Younger people care about intersectionality. They care about talking about gender and race. Many of these conservation organizations are losing funding and support, and they know that they can’t continue without changing their mission. Some organizations understand that they need to talk about these things to have a base.”

On the future of environmental justice, Thomas offers that education, awareness, and building community are the only ways forward.

“It is especially critical that we educate ourselves and others, as we head into a future in which climate change will continue to impact weather patterns and natural disasters will become much more common and severe”, Thomas added.

“The future may appear bleak and hopeless but there are still actions we can take to ensure that we protect the people of this planet, especially those most vulnerable to the impacts of a climate crisis that will change the way we all live.”

For more information about Leah Thomas, please visit her website here.

For more information about the Intersectional Environmentalist, please visit here.

You can pre-order Leah’s book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet here.

About the author:

Karla Mendez (she/her) is the Lead Columnist of Black Feminist Histories and Movements for Black Women Radicals. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida, pursuing a major in Interdisciplinary Studies and a double minor in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. She holds a certificate in Feminism and Social Justice from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has just completed an internship with the United Nations Association. In addition to being a student, she is a freelance writer. Karla is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, she recognizes the importance of intersectionality in feminism, and as such, her research and writing focus on the intersection of race, gender, class, and politics.

With her writing and research, she wants to introduce people to historical figures who paved the way for change while bringing awareness to how discrimination and oppression can affect people differently. She will continue to explore her research as she begins graduate school next year to pursue a Master’s in Women’s Studies and American Studies. When she isn’t studying or reading for school, she enjoys reading for fun, watching old movies, and spending time with her family. You can follow her on Instagram @kmmendez.

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