Bigotry. That isn’t the first word that comes to mind when one thinks about environmentalism, but green bigotry is real and growing.
A web of individuals, groups and funders who identify themselves as environmentalists are dividing the environmental movementand moving it away from solutions that are inclusive of diverse communities.
Some already have. Take for example the community members in the Bronx
who were fed up with anti-immigrant bigotry and exposed a powerful New
York foundation for funding the anti-immigrant movement. The Weeden
Foundation was confronted by over 100 community members in front of its
Manhattan headquarters in a protest organized by the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC).
According to the group’s press statement, members were protesting “the
Weeden Foundation’s funding groups that scapegoat immigrants for
ecological problems.”
Click on the cover and read a copy of Imagine 2050's annual magazine -
an entire issue dedicated to articles on migration, race, & the
environment.
For two years the writers at Imagine 2050
have visited and revisited issues related to migration, race, and the
environment. The newest issue of the magazine compiles our favorite
“green” articles from the past year. The magazine includes in-depth
commentary on topics such as the controversial activities of
anti-immigrant groups from within the environmental movement, and the
interconnectedness of climate change and structural racism.
The Center’s report explicitly reveals how
anti-immigrant forces have corrupted the dialogue on population and the
environment.
In 2009, an article in the Population Special Issue of
the Earth Island Journal mentioned a new organization and website named Apply the Brakes (ATB). A few months
later, the Center for Immigration Studies — an anti-immigrant organization
group founded by white nationalist John Tanton — cited ATB in a memorandum
denouncing Sierra Club leadership for not addressing the issue of immigration.
These and other signals illustrate ATB’s mission to legitimize
discussions about “domestic population growth” that have a pronounced
anti-immigration focus.
The Center for New Community is a national organization committed to building community, justice, and equality. The Center is grounded in many faith traditions, and builds community where the dignity and value of all humanity is manifest.
Established in 1995, it has grown from a vision to an organization working nationwide to cultivate civic life and advance systemic change, in partnership with local leaders, organizations, congregations, and other institutions. The need to build democratic and inclusive community has seldom been greater.
