This Twitter essay by Marce G. Graudi?š was written on July 1, 2019 and the original can be found on Twitter.
So you’re a conservation organization looking to work on #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion? Here’s a couple of resources to read BEFORE you reach out to #poc colleagues / organizations. / #thread #dei #diversifygreen
I have at least one of these calls a week, and I have to say, I really don’t understand how such a research-focused field is so ill-prepared for the convo. First: stop asking #POC to educate you on racism, diversity or inequity.
Also, disclaimer, this is my personal thread of suggested reading, which is by no means exhaustive, nor complete, and, frankly, as a white-passing Mexican-American I’m still working on this myself.
First off: EVERY Conservation advocate needs to read the “Letter to the Big 10” several times. Read it over and over and over again. It is uncomfortable, yes – but you know what’s worse? This was written almost 30 years ago. https://www.ejnet.org/ej/swop.pdf
Why everybody? If you are white or work in a large mainstream organization, you probably can learn something. If you are at a small #ej org or if you are a #poc advocate: validation – this is not new, and you are not being divisive.
If you’ve read the letter say, 5 times – this is a good follow up (written almost 10 years ago) from High Country News
If you’ll allow me (especially if you’re calling me for #DEI advice) – please check out our #VerdePaper. Incredibly proud of this effort (with @RMedia) – a result of 2 years of conversations and interviews with #Latinx conservation leaders.
And then, for me it’s all about Vu Le’s @NonprofitAF (what did people do before his blog?)
From #trickledown engagement: “Are you or your org guilty of trickle down community engagement?“
Equity and accountability: “Which comes first, the Equity Egg or the Accountability Chicken?“
Solutions privilege: “Solutions Privilege: How privilege shapes the expectations of solutions, and why it’s bad for our work addressing systemic injustice“
Must read: Leading the Environmental Movement Toward Equity (@wjtome): Whitney Tome
Also: Make the environmental movement more green, and less white
The unsustainable whiteness of green
Connecting the dots between the environment and justice (@brentinmock)
What It Means That the Environmental Justice Movement is Overwhelmingly White (@ayanabyrd)
Environmentalism’s Racist History
The overwhelming whiteness of US environmentalism is hobbling the fight against climate change
Are There Two Different Versions of Environmentalism, One “White,” One “Black”?
How Green Groups Became So White and What to Do About It
Why are so many white men trying to save the planet without the rest of us?
Environmentalist’ Doesn’t Just Mean White and Wealthy
Grappling With Ocean Conservation and Social Justice (an interview with the awesome @ayanaeliza)
This is by no means an exhaustive list (and some folks here are constantly authoring awesome articles) but I hope a good start on reading materials, especially BEFORE you reach out to #poc folks.
by Marce G. Graudi?š (@minsd)