Our Climate Voices: Black Liberation and Climate Justice

Jun 19

Season 1, Bonus
6/19/24

We’re back with an insightful conversation on climate and Black liberation with environmental justice leaders Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, Mustafa Santiago Ali, Kerene Tayloe, and Amirio Freeman. This episode was originally produced by Our Climate Voices and is co-hosted by Kia Johnson. Thank you to Our Climate Voices and to the amazing guests in this conversation.

In this episode, we discuss historical innovations from Black trailblazers in the US. Exploring cultural contributions from black creatives, scientists, policy makers, and youth. We talk about the continued commodification of natural resources and energy resources in a time of climate change. Then, we explore policy and community solutions to address the climate crisis and Black liberation. We discuss designing policy solutions to protect black communities, taking ownership of our time & platforms, the value of narrative intervention and climate storytelling.

Our Climate Voices (OCV) is an organization that aims to humanize the climate crisis through ethical storytelling as a tool for climate justice. OCV focuses on uplifting voices on the frontlines of climate change including youth, Indigenous, immigrant, queer, people of color, women, and people from low-income communities. The OCV team is composed of BIPOC, queer, and youth organizers, creatives, and storytellers.

Transcript Link

CREDITS

Featuring: Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, Mustafa Santiago Ali, Kerene Tayloe, and Amirio Freeman
Hosted by Kia Johnson and Kiana Michaan
Produced by: Kia Johnson, Kiana Michaan, Al Brady, and Khari Slaughter
Edited and Engineered by: Lucy Little

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Tamara Toles O'Laughlin is an environmentalist focused on equity, access and community. She develops skill building programs and creates multimedia campaigns to dismantle privilege and increase opportunities for vulnerable populations to access healthy air, clean energy and a toxic free economy at the local, regional and national level. Tamara casts a wide net in service to the environmental community. She leads the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) as its CEO and President. EGA represents over 200 foundations globally, holding approximately $200 billion in assets and giving more than $2 billion annually to environmental causes. She is the founder of Climate Critical, a visionary new organization supporting the development of the next generation of climate leaders. Tamara drives mission critical work and organizational investments to build a multiracial, multi-generational climate movement that is ready to hold leaders accountable to the long view of justice.

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is a renowned thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, and serves as the Executive Vice President for the National Wildlife Federation. He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies, a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from “surviving to thriving.” Before joining the National Wildlife Federation, Mustafa was the senior vice president for the Hip Hop Caucus, a national non-profit and non-partisan organization that connects the hip-hop community to the civic process to build power and create positive change. In his role, he led the strategic direction, expansion, and operation of the Hip Hop Caucus’ portfolio on climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization. Mustafa worked for 24 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). Mustafa uses a holistic approach to revitalizing vulnerable communities, and has worked with more than 500 domestic and international communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice.

Kerene N. Tayloe, Esq. is a social justice advocate who has over 13 years of experience specifically in environmental justice advocacy. Kerene is focused on ensuring that communities of color lead and speak for themselves as we address the important challenge of climate change. To that end, she believes it is imperative that people of color and women have access to economic opportunities in the renewable energy sector. She previously served as the Director of Federal Legislative Affairs for WE ACT for Environmental Justice where she worked on a number of legislative priorities including strengthening the National Environmental Policy Act, creating the Environmental Justice for All Act, coordinating the first Environmental Justice focused Presidential Town Hall discussion. Kerene currently serves as a Senior Advisor in the Office of Community Engagement at the Department of Energy. In 2019, she was chosen for the Grist 50, an annual list of emerging leaders from across the U.S. who are working on fresh, real-world solutions to our world's biggest challenges. In 2020, she was selected for the Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award that celebrates women of color who are building a healthier, safer, and more just world.

Amirio Freeman (he/they) is a Black, queer Southerner and food systems advocate and artist. Amirio is the founder of Being Green While Black, a “visual archive of the constellations of greenness within the vast cosmos of blackness” that ultimately serves as a “digital spell to conjure socially, politically, economically, and ecologically just futures where blackness isn’t marginalized. Based in Washington, D.C, Amirio is an advocacy specialist for a domestic hunger-relief organization; there, they use policy, art, and community to envision and manifest a healthier and more equitable food system in the US. Amirio was also the host of Loam Listen – a digital space for playful, juicy conversations on how we can reimagine the ways we live and relate to each other to survive and thrive within and beyond this moment.