Interview: Anne-Marie Hoeve
Main image: Cher Martinez
Is she an environmentalist? Or a social justice activist? Leah Thomas is both, and even coined a new term, intersectional environmentalism, to prove that we shouldn’t have to choose.
Your Instagram post linking climate action with racial justice reached 1 million people. When did you first make that link and why?
I was studying environmental science and we were making maps of a variety of environmental topics. I wanted to explore things like median income and race and how, if at all, it correlated with access to parks and green spaces. And I found that it did: the more wealthy you are and the whiter you are, the more – in the US in particular – you have access to parks and community gardens. So after seeing that, I also wanted to look at things like the placement of toxic waste sites, clean air and clean water. I started to find that race and median income were the number one and number two determining factors in who experiences environmental hazards. I felt like it was an area of social justice that wasn’t being focused on enough and I wanted to narrow in on that.
How did you feel when the injustice you saw in your research was mirrored in the injustice fuelling Black Lives Matter protests across the country – also in your home town, near Ferguson, Missouri?
I remember turning on the TV and seeing a gas station that we drove by all the time burning down. I remember hearing about reporters that I knew getting hurt. I remember my sister getting tear-gassed. It was a very dramatic time and I think sometimes things have to hit close to home for you to fully swallow the reality of the situation.
The rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement – “I can’t breathe” – shows that it’s not just police brutality or excessive force but also the literal air that people are breathing that is making it hard for them to exist.
I was in shock that there are a lot of people in the environmental space who were not in mourning in the way that I was, traumatised from all of the headlines about unnecessary violence towards black folks. I felt so alone and so isolated and I realised there is a really serious disconnect here. I shouldn’t be the only person in these spaces that’s also advocating for the right to life. I’m trying to save the planet because I love the people of this planet and the animals of this planet, and if the people next to me aren’t also trying to advocate for the people – what type of environmentalism am I participating in? There was a lot of confusion throughout my studies about why racial justice, or LGBTQ+ rights or women’s rights, weren’t being included enough within environmental conversations.
“Innocent humans don’t deserve to have toxic waste in their neighbourhoods”
What can mainstream environmentalism learn from the Black Lives Matter movement?
That environmentalism flows through everything. So one big thing would be just making sure we are protecting all endangered species, and that includes endangered humans, in the context of our environmental work. So whether we’re talking about the Black Lives Matter movement or the Stop Asian Hate movement – whatever movement – humans also deserve to be protected. There are innocent humans on this planet that don’t deserve to have toxic waste in their neighbourhoods along with excessive force.
What are you most proud of achieving since introducing this topic to the world at large?
Seeing the ways that this is translating to curriculums. Whether we’re talking about middle schools, high schools or colleges, I’m seeing more environmental justice classes being added. There’s this grassroots momentum of students that want to reshape the ways that they’re learning about environmentalism, shifting the narrative so everyone feels included and can have their stories reflected. There are students demanding this educational shift and I think that’s so cool.
“I’d like to see more people of colour and people from historically under-amplified groups in positions of leadership”
Leah Thomas / photo: James Theodore
Which changes would you most like to see in the next five years?
I’d like to see more people of colour and people from historically under-amplified groups in positions of leadership within environmental organisations and teaching environmental classes. It’s one thing to diversify entry-level positions, but it’s very different when you have leadership – people that have decision-making capabilities. Also, more shows, documentaries and stories that have diverse folks talking about what environmentalism means to them.
You recently interviewed Betty Reid Soskin – the 100-year-old activist and oldest serving US park ranger – for documentaries-with-purpose platform WaterBear. How important is it to include multiple generations in the environmental conversation?
It’s so important to have intergenerational conversations because there’s so much wisdom. The coolest thing about Betty is that at 100, she still wanted to learn from me. But I could listen to her talk forever. Always being open to learning from each other is so important.
Is there more space for diverse voices within the climate movement now?
Definitely. I’m seeing a lot more educators of colour, creating platforms and also careers for themselves in environmental education. I also am seeing prominent white voices in this space lend their platform to others. I know that Greta [Thunberg] in particular has been lending her platform and creating space for other people. And we’re seeing voices like Vanessa Nakate [Ugandan environmental activist] being elevated and I think that’s so cool.
But there is also a lot of tokenisation at times. I wonder how we can practise intersectionality beyond just identifying the word. What does it mean to be an intersectional organisation? Does it mean that leadership is diverse, does it mean that participants are diverse, or a combination of all those things.
