We know you’ve been itching for yet more commentary about “The Death of Environmentalism.” Well, today’s your lucky day.
Grist has just published a lengthy rebuttal to the Reapers written by Michel Gelobter of Redefining Progress and friends. “The Soul of Environmentalism” looks at the green movement — past, present, and future — from the perspective of activists of color.
For a bite-sized taste of this hearty dish, check out an essay we excerpted from it: “Standing on Whose Shoulders?: Why Race and Class Matter to the Environmental Movement.”
And for just a crumb, here’s this:
The authors of “The Death of Environmentalism” begin by invoking their ancestors. … [But] many environmentalists would rather not stand on the shoulders of certain early conservation heroes. [John] Muir developed his conservation ethic during the Civil War and the expropriation of Native American lands, the two great racial struggles of the 19th century. He pretty much ignored both of them … Before we sanctify Muir, we need to understand how his racial attitudes affected his commitments to conservation. If the environmental movement is ever going to revive, it must first confront the many ways in which the U.S. has reserved open space for the exclusive use of whites. …
[T]he authors of “The Death of Environmentalism” completely ignore a second set of ancestors who need to be included in our deliberations. We’re talking about the people who brought you the civil-rights movement.
Modern environmentalism was, after all, the Elvis of ’60s activism. It was a radical and innovative departure from the conservation movement that preceded it. And in almost every way, the politics and innovations of the early environmental movement derived directly from the same era’s fight for black power and racial justice.
Come on — you know you want more where that came from …
