(Portions of this project have been published in various sources including a feature article entitled “Protesting a Broken System” in the Toledo City Paper in June, 2020.  I am continuing to explore environmental intersectionalism on a bigger scope.)

The United States saw well over 10,000 protests in 2020.

Protests started with the pandemic in the first half of the year involving groups on the far right, such as the Proud Boys and extreme evangelicals. They fought against restrictions that were mandated to prevent the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, insisting it was an overreach of government authority.

Following the death of George Floyd in May, the Black Lives Matter movement has been the impetus behind thousands of protests calling for justice and equality. The fight to recognize and fix systemic racial inequalities in the United States has also opened the discussion up to a term many find themselves unfamiliar with; intersectionality.

Intersectionality is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.”

This can be taken a step further by understanding the environment’s role in the justice movement. Intersectional Environmentalism is critical for a truly sustainable future. Leah Thomas, an activist, explains that “Environmental justice is the intersection of both social justice and environmentalism, where the inequity in environmental degradation is also considered.”

The environment and health of our most vulnerable communities go hand in hand. There is no justice without a healthy environment for ALL citizens, and this is a long term project that goes hand in hand with my Rights of Nature research over the past few years. The rights of human beings and the rights of nature to flourish are connected by a common thread. They are worthy of exploration and further understanding.

This is just the beginning of unraveling the stories behind intersectional environmentalism.