1.5 Degrees stands with Black Lives Matter. It should not take the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other black people for us to act upon the racism entrenched in our society, but these unjust and shattering deaths have helped to spark the recent momentum behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
We ourselves are not perfect, and our publication has been working to examine the ways in which racism exists in our own schools, journal, and selves. It is our job to bring to light the inequalities of our society, and environmental racism is at the heart of climate injustice. For us to be free from systems of oppression and climate catastrophe, we all need to be free. Our articles will focus on environmental justice and environmental racism along with other forms of systemic oppression.
For those unfamiliar with these terms, environmental racism refers to the many ways in which our environmental actions disproportionately hurt people of color. Some examples are the pollution and waste that we dump on communities of color, the natural resources our government has exploited and stolen from communities of color, and the lack of access these communities have to a clean and green environment. Environmental justice refers to grassroots activism in local communities, led by the people of color who are most affected by environmental racism.
We will continue to spread information, opinions, and paths to action on environmental justice and Black Lives Matter throughout our publication, and we intend to begin collaboration with other youth organizations and activists, especially those advocating for black lives. Do not hesitate to reach out to us at 1point5degrees@gmail.com or 1point5degrees.com/contact to talk about our articles or if you are interested in contributing. #BlackLivesMatter