Raíces Verdes

Erica & Niria are two Chicanas from the Northwest organizing mutual aid efforts for members of the Talent, Phoenix and Medford community who lost everything due to the recent #Almedafires. Specifically, they are raising funds to support Latinx & immigrant community members who were previously residing in mobile homes and were severely affected by the fires. In this episode we discussed the environmental implications & injustices on BIPOC when disasters occur, and how mutual aid rooted in community care is the most effective way for our communities to stay resilient. To support their organizing efforts visit: bit.ly/latinxrelief

Latinidad, or the Latinx identity is messy. But we need to talk about the messiness of it so we can be critical of what we mean when say we want diversity in the "environmental movement", in people leading the work of sustainability. Within the Latinx community, who is most impacted by environmental injustices? Is it our Black-Latinx community members, Indigenous people? What is a White-Latinx and where is all this nuance coming from? I hope this episode sparks conversation and something comes out of these messy thoughts on a messy subject

Chiyokten of the Saanich tribe shares medicine through the form of storytelling and reminds us that we have a choice in how we are in relationship with land, water and everything else on this earth.

To support their work visit https://protectorsofthesalishsea.org/

https://www.facebook.com/ProtectorsOfTheSalishSea/

Gabrielle Felder is a freelance graphic designer, social media artist, and culture critic. Originally from Orange County, California, Gabrielle currently lives in Portland with her fiance. After beginning her master’s degree in Environmental Health at University of Washington, Gabrielle realized that her true passions lie in art & design, writing, marketing, and activism. She is the creator of the social media platform on Instagram @gfx_prints, which sparked the topic of this episode, focusing on "Radical Black Ecology".

Ki’Amber Thompson is a queer Blaxicana educator, organizer, artist, and entrepreneur from the West Side of San Antonio. Since graduating from Pomona College in 2018 she’s done environmental justice work in Flint, Michigan through the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Michigan and spent a year in Washington, D.C. doing policy, research, and storytelling work with the Ocean Conservancy. Ki’Amber is the Founder and Director of the Charles Roundtree Bloom Project, an outdoor healing justice program for youth of incarcerated parents in San Antonio.

A soundtrack featuring the Earth stories of 6 BIPOC and their healing journey with land and water. Slow down, take a moment to rest and reflect on your own Earth story as you listen to the soundtrack. Thank you to Paul, Carol, Hannah, John Wesley and Jasmmine for allowing me to record their stories and be part of this work. Special thank you to @_carina.carina for the cover art, and @paliboyoriginal for the music featured in the podcast. Below you can find more information about the participants:

https://protectorsofthesalishsea.org/

https://www.facebook.com/yesfarmofficial/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-bipoc-organic-food-bank-fund

https://www.rashawnna-at-klove4art.com/

https://msha.ke/jase.the.crone/

Ashley Abena* Arhin (she/her)| *(Uh-bin-uh)

Born and raised in unceded Duwamish Territory also known as Seattle Washington, Abena is a Black woman of Ghanaian decent with kinship in the In-land Ashanti and Coastal Fante tribes. She received her Bachelors Degree from Western Washington University in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Education and Social Justice in 2018. Entitled “Understanding Black Connections to Land and Place through Anti-Blackness in the United States” she spent her 4 years in undergrad creating her own major of study; unpacking how environmental injustice came to be within differing Black communities, learning Black environmental ways of knowing and being, and the importance of self actualized education that is culturally responsive in the wake of enslavement.

Kadiatou(Ka-djah-tou)Balde is a 22-year-old Black Guinean-American Muslim womxn. She’s a social architect with a passion for BI&POC community-based sustainability and entrepreneurship - rooted in Islam. Upon graduating last May, she worked with 12 different non-profit organizations as a Diversity in Arts Leadership intern, where she learned the importance of BI&POC solutions and leadership that led to her co-creation of Faithfully Sustainable.

To follow her work check out @faithfully_sustainable on Instagram

Zainab Koli is an Indian American Muslim woman whose work sits at the intersection of sustainable fashion, community organizing, and Islam. She is the Co-Founder of two Muslim community organizations, Faithfully Sustainable and NY MSA Showdown. She plans to continue bringing together her background in fashion design and product development and community organizing to build just fashion systems free from social and environmental exploitation by centering the voices and solutions of BIPOC communities. She is currently on a journey of learning about social and environmental justice internally within Islam, her community, family, and culture. Zainab is also looking forward to beginning her Masters in Environmental Policy and Sustainability in the Fall, despite her skepticism of academia.

IG: @faithfullysustainable