This year, Greenpeace Canada is recognizing Black excellence and Black resistance. Canada's 2024 theme, Black His Excellence, calls for celebrating Blackness in all its accomplishments and the way it occupies space. But while it's easy to praise Black celebrities, it's important to remind ourselves that Black excellence doesn't start and end here. Collectively, we need to do more than consume media and mistake this visibility for true representation. Black resistance is therefore a theme we embrace as climate change activists taking action to co-create the world we want.
Black communities have resisted all forms of oppression for hundreds of years. Our leadership in social movements is a testament to the power of people in creating a world with justice for all. Through this continued resistance, the world is proving the definition of radical love for collective liberation.
There is a common misconception about how the black community has engaged with the environmental movement. The truth is that Black, Indigenous, and racialized people around the world have always worked to center justice in climate action.
The environmental justice movement, led primarily by Black, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities, began with the harsh reality of pollution's disproportionate impact on North America's communities of color and low-income communities. Thanks to the efforts of environmental justice advocates, we now know this: environmental racism, And that's exactly what communities of color have been fighting for for decades.
These disproportionate impacts require intersectionality in climate justice. Because Greenpeace is a white-led organization, our climate action is only complete when we elevate the voices of diverse communities. Not just for representation, but as our duty to seek justice for all.
Speaking on behalf of communities most affected by environmental and climate injustice is not about promoting a platform and giving communities a place to express themselves; General criticism of white-led environmental groups. Decentering white people in climate change activism is a collective responsibility that requires us to hold space and lead from communities that deserve equality.
Climate action is not new territory for Black leadership in resistance. Black communities have long been stewards of the land and protectors of ecosystems, but their voices are often suppressed and completely silenced in the rooms where decisions are made. Recognizing this includes affirming Black experiences such as: black farmers and land stewardsPeople who fight violence and prejudice to protect our culture and our planet.
Our existence is not only about resistance. We have overcome every obstacle to achieve excellence in the face of adversity. And despite stereotypes, racist policies, and socio-economic factors that deny Black people access to nature, we continue to have a deep connection to our environment.
Silencing Black voices is a climate justice issue. Black excellence and resistance will save us all.
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