5 Climate Warriors to Follow

Over the past 5 years we have had one white person after another in the spotlight on climate change. As a white guy working on climate change, I find it frustrating, embarrassing, and cringe worthy.

Quite frankly, I wonder if mass media is just plain racist? Let’s see.

You have the old guys Hansen, Attenborough, and Biden.

You’ve got your evangelical Katherine Hayhoe.

You have your youth Greta.

They’ve all gotten tons of press, near and far. But they are all white. Yes, thankfully they are not all old white guys.

But seriously, there are so many people of color doing the work that needs to be done on climate change. What happened? Below I’ll share some people of color who are leading the way on climate change, but mind you there are many more, so many more.

Who’s Leading the Media Charge on White’s and Climate Change?

Is the media racist? Are people of color too busy actually doing the work that they don't have time to be in the media? Are they just too modest to put themselves out there? The first answer may be yes — how we display people of color in news articles often implies a wrongdoing even if they are the victims.

While searching for people of color leading climate change, the results were a shock, but not surprising. Instead of finding these leaders covered by major media sources like the Guardian, NBC, etc., they were covered by more community focused outlets like Vox, Yes!Magazine, and The Verge — all great outlets but probably speaking to the choir.

Meanwhile search one of the white people above on Google. Go ahead and do it. I’ll wait…

Greta alone was covered widely by The Guardian, BBC, the AP, Time, NBC, the Hill, Reuters, New Scientist, and many others.

Should I go on or has it sunk in yet? 8.2 million results in Google for Greta. James Hansen 9.9 million results in Google.

Check the others and you’ll see the same trend. White people of privilege stealing the spotlight from those working in the trenches trying to solve this issue of climate change. An issue people of color are disproportionately impacted by. While most of the leaders below are well below a million hits on Google.

This theory of racism and climate change in the media was supported by research at the University of Oregon by Troy Elias.

“While their contributions to the climate change movement remain largely unrecognized, people of color are just as concerned — or even more so — as whites, the United States’ majority group.”

5 People of Color Actually Solving the Climate Justice Problem

Jacqui Patterson

Jacqueline Patterson is the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. She brings deep experience in human and women’s rights to the climate justice community as co-founder of Women of Color United and as former Assistant Vice-President of HIV/AIDS Programs for IMA World Health.

Jacqui has worked on issues across the social justice spectrum including women‘s rights, violence against women, HIV&AIDS, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental and climate justice.

Jacqui has spent time interviewing women of color who were impacted by climate change and/or working toward climate justice by doing work on disasters, food justice, water, and other surrounding issues.

In a 2008 interview, Jacqui mentioned multiple examples of the intersection between climate change and disaster, women’s rights, and sexual assault. Particularly striking is when she notes the intersection between climate change and women’s survival:

“A woman told a story of how her sister was leaving the Cameroon because the breadbasket had dried up in her area and agriculture production decreased to the point that she could no longer provide for her family. She left to a neighboring country, and in that border crossing she was sexually assaulted and became HIV positive”

Xiye Bastida

Xiye is a Mexican-Chilean climate activist and member of the indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec nation.

She escaped her hometown of San Pedro Tultepec after the climate change whiplash of a long drought was followed by flooding.

“Earth is our home,” she said. “It gives you air, water and shelter. Everything we need. All it asks is that we protect it.”

She rested in New York City playing a major role in youth climate change advocacy by co-founding Re-Earth Initiative, organizing Fridays for Future New York City, serving on the People’s Climate Movement administration committee and being active with the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion.

Her voice has gained impact after she won the United Nations “Spirit of the UN” award. Since then she was featured in the Teen Vogue documentary, We Rise and a futuristic film, Imagine the Future.

“Acknowledging that minority communities are the most affected by the Climate Crisis is the first step to achieving Climate Justice.”

Mustafa Santiago Ali

Mustafa was a leader in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice for 24 years, as a founding member and leader. He worked with over 500 domestic and international communities to improve people’s lives by addressing environmental, health, and economic justice issues.

That is until the Trump Administration dashed his dreams of effectively addressing climate change or environmental justice. On his way out he stated:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We may have come to these shores on different ships, but we are now all in the same boat”. The upcoming choices you make will have significant impacts on the public health and environment of our country. Those choices can stand as a beacon of hope, and as a powerful role model to the rest of the world on our priorities and values.

He then went on to join the Hip Hop Caucus as the Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization to bring about change and connect and empower youth on issues of climate change and environmental justice.

“I’ve Always Loved The Idea Of Not Being What People Expect Me To Be! Be You, Be Authentic, Be Powerful, Be Woke & Be Original”

Now he’s making changing from outside as the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Mustafa currently serves as a board member for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists, Rodenberry Foundation, TREE, and Climate Hawks Vote.

Christine Nieves

Raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico Christine now resides in the mountainous region of Mariana, Puerto Rico where Hurricane Maria first made landfall. It was this very storm that woke her up and activated her desire to fight for climate change and the people who are most vulnerable.

“the birthplace of the colonized mind is believing we are inferior — denying who we really are, and acting in violence towards ourselves by wishing to be other.”

Christine Nieves is the Co-founder and President of Emerge Puerto Rico, a non-profit focused on Climate Change leadership activation of community knowledge and infrastructure during disasters.

She also co-founded Proyecto Apoyo Mutuo Mariana, a mutual aid disaster relief effort. Through this effort she created a self-sustaining cooperative with solar panels, free Wi-Fi, rainwater collection, 300 meals a day and created a sustainable community center that included assistance with micro-business development.

Heather McTeer Toney

Heather McTeer Toney grew up the daughter of a civil rights attorney in the Mississippi Delta, but that;s not really what defines her. She made her own way as the first female and youngest mayor of Greenville, Mississippi helping them solve a massive debt crisis and clean water problem.

Getting recognized as an environmental justice leader by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), she took on the role of Regional Administrator for EPA Region 4, the southern, and some of the most Republican states.

“The way that we talk about the environment in today’s words is not sufficient to describe my interaction, or people that I know from the South — people of color’s — interaction with environment. Because when you look up What is an environmentalist? if you just Google what it looks like, it’s very singular. It’s a lot of white people and hugging trees. That’s just not my idea and image of an environmentalist. For me it’s people who are connected to land and soil in ways that are both good and bad, and that’s been my connection and passion all my life.”

She now is the National Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force, an organization of over 1 million moms and dads committed to fighting air pollution and protections against climate change.

Heather has held a number of community leadership roles including as National Spokeswomen for She Should Run!, a National Organization that encourages women to run for office. She took her local experience to the international space by advocating and training diverse officials on leadership in over 15 countries including Kenya, France, Portugal, Nigeria and Senegal.

What Can You Do?

My exposure to environmental justice started as a child and was two-fold — and only recently did I realize they were linked together. I think most people working on this issue have had some exposure, so this is where the divide lies in getting people to understand, empathize, and respond to climate justice.

I’m originally from West Baltimore. My mom spent her years teaching in the most high-risk schools in the City. One day she came home and nonchalantly told a story of a factory blowing up near her school. The teachers came out to find tiny holes burned into their cars just as a representative of that factory started handing out checks in lieu of those teachers suing them. As I became older and wiser, I learned that industries in Curtis Bay contribute over 87 percent of all toxic stationary-source emissions in Baltimore city and pose health risks to the community — a community already.

The second area of influence was being a part of the United Church of Christ in Baltimore — an organization that penned the first report on race and toxic chemicals in 1987 — Toxic Waste and Race in the United States, that propelled a national environmental justice movement. United Church of Christ has since been the first for a number of issues including the first woman pastor and first openly gay pastor — and little did I know I would have the honor to work with one of the writers of the report later in life, Vernice Miller-Travis.

But enough about me. We spend too much time trying to get into the spotlight as white people.

We need to step aside and let people of color lead. And when they lead, give credit where credit is due.

We need to support outlets and organizations that lead with people of color rather than grandstand them only to not take ideas seriously.

We need to not just step aside, but act as their tailwinds moving policies and actions forward that actually get to the definition of equity and protect and empower those most affected by climate change.

Let’s face it. It’s us white people and white supremacy causing climate change. So rather than create a new era of redlining through climate change, let’s move towards positive actions that build up those most vulnerable.

Oh and if you need a first step, read up on the great writings at the All We Can Save Project, which aims to accelerate the success of the climate movement by providing focused support and community building for women climate leaders.