Marcelo Bonta’s Posts

• Kyra's Path

  Reflecting on his daughter's future, a father says the green movement must diversify 4

  Posted 1 year, 5 months ago

  The face of America is changing -- is the environmental movement ready to face change too?

  
  

  "Kyra, do you know this is yours?" I ask, looking down at the skinny little girl with big, curly, dark brown locks. Her hair to body proportion resembles Thing One and Thing Two from Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat.

  "What do you mean?" A furrowed face of mostly cheek and big brown eyes replies.

  My four-year-old daughter… Read More

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Marcelo Bonta’s Recent Comments

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  Openness, Inclusion, and Empathy

  The comment above is an example of how much work we need to do.On Reflecting on his daughter's future, a father says the green movement must diversify posted 1 year, 5 months ago 4 Responses

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  Environmental Media

  Patrick,

  You are touching upon one of the challenges to diversifying the movement.  The environmental media needs to do a better job of elevating diversity issues in its stories. Grist has been doing a great job by the way (although there is always room to do better:)) When is the last time you heard of some of the efforts, people, and organizations that I mentioned in my previous post?  Maybe with the exception of Van Jones, I would be pleasantly surprised if you have heard of some of the others.    
  Good luck, and I appreciate your comments in pushing this issue.

  Marcelo

  "We are the change that we seek."  
  -- Barack ObamaOn Further data on the environmental movement's diversity challenge posted 1 year, 9 months ago 5 Responses

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  Hope

  Patrick,  I like your idea of mainstream groups reaching out the environmental justice groups. This an excellent first step, if done in the right way. (Some mainstream enviros have tried but either failed or encountered a huge reality check.) Your suggested approach to outreach- listening, be respectful, include everyone's values in the collaboration is really what needs to be done. (If a partnership is established, there has to an equal share of power, resources, and decision making). Having humility, a willing to learn, and doing your homework about the organization or targeted community are other important steps.

  In addition, I think partnering and outreach needs to go beyond environmental justice groups and include people of color led groups, social justice groups, community-based groups, affordable housing groups, environmental health groups, faith-based groups, etc.  You get my drift. Environmentalism is (or at least should be) a much far reaching and inclusive term in today's society than it was a few decades back.  

  In response, to your first comment about the environmental movement not really changing over the past few decades.  I think now more than ever the environmental movement has an opportunity to really start moving forward on diversity issues.  Inspirational speakers, like Charles Jordan, Jerome Ringo, and Van Jones, are making their rounds discussing various aspects of diversifying the movement.  Organizations, like the Diversity Matters and the Center for Diversity  & the Environment, have been created specifically to deal with the issue.  Numerous trainers, such as Iantha Gantt-Wright and Angela Park, are making headway working on cultural change within mainstream institutions.  An amazing series of gatherings, called Diverse Partners for Environmetnal Progress, has been gaining traction in comprehensively moving the issues forward and organizing numerous change agents.  

  So let's not give up on diversifying the movement just yet. There are a lot of exciting things happening.  Let's be hopeful.  In order to truly be committed to the cause, we all need to start taking action within our own spheres of influence.

  Marcelo BontaOn Further data on the environmental movement's diversity challenge posted 1 year, 9 months ago 5 Responses