About 100 University of Michigan community members gathered to hear discussions on the relationship between the environment and social and racial justice at Rackham Auditorium Thursday evening. Hosted by the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment, the event featured local and national activists Maria Lopez-Nunez, Anthony Rogers-Wright and isaac sevier.
The panel was moderated by Nayyirah Shariff, a grassroots organizer during the Flint water crisisand co-founder of the Flint Democracy Defense League. They discussed the harmful effects of government silos, or when different departments work independently of one another. Shariff said this separation of various causes across government agencies means organizers need to work harder to address intersectional movements.
“(The) government intentionally silos our movements, and we have to work collectively to deconstruct those silos because we can’t just fight for environmental justice (and allow for) no one (to have) health care,” Shariff said. “We have to fight for it all.”
Panelist isaac sevier, an energy engineer and founding co-director of People’s Utility Commons, spoke about how conversations around clean energy projects — such as electrification — often don’t benefit marginalized communities.
“When we talk about electrify everything I ask, “For whom?” sevier said. “Because it is very easy right now, with the policies and investments that we have, to see that … it was designed just for some people.”
Shariff then asked panelist Anthony Rogers-Wright, director of environmental justice for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, about the political forces behind the Inflation Reduction Act and the response from social justice organizations. The act, which aims to reduce inflation, increase domestic energy production and reduce carbon emissions, has been touted as a significant step forward in climate energy.
Rogers-Wright said the act has been praised by oil companies and that he believes it does not benefit the people it is intended to. He referenced a quote from Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez about the issue.
“Why don’t the demographics of the people who were so rhapsodic about this match the demographics of people most impacted by the climate crisis?” Rogers-Wright said.
The panelists also discussed President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to put 40% of federal money from climate-related investments into disadvantaged communities. Maria Lopez-Nuñez, deputy director of advocacy and organizing for Ironbound Community Corporation, said though Justice40 has potential to enact change, its impacts will depend on what people make of it.
“How are we holding people accountable — because this is at the federal level,” Lopez-Nuñez said. “That means that there’s opportunity for us at the state and the municipal level … I think it gives us a loose target to shoot for.”
As she urged audience members to actively participate in democracy, Lopez-Nuñez emphasized how she believes environmentalism and democracy are linked.
“I think we’re here for Earth Day, but (also for) social justice,” Lopez-Nunez said. “And we need to stop making Earth Day something separate from democracy, because it is democracy and public participation (and) public struggle that will help us and if we don’t … we might be doomed.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Kyle Whyte, a SEAS professor who helped organize the event, spoke about what he took away from the event. Whyte said he believes the United States is moment in time with potential for a lot of climate action, but people have to take advantage of it.
“A big takeaway for me is that we are in a moment right now where there’s a lot of resources (and) a lot of attention on environmental justice, but whether we’re going to be able to take advantage of that moment depends on our attitude,] depends on our approach and especially depends on our relationships with other people,” White said.
Environment and Sustainability graduate student Srikari Punyamurtula told The Daily she resonated with what sevier said about talking to family members and close friends regarding environmental and racial justice.
“I guess the thing that took me the most by surprise was (sevier’s) point about how (if) you can’t talk to the people that love and trust you about racial justice, how are you gonna convince anyone else,” Punyamurtula said. “I think that’s something I really need to think about because I separate my family from my work and I don’t really go out of my way to talk to my family about it.”
Daily Staff Reporter Abigail VanderMolen can be reached at vabigail@umich.edu.