Red Lines and Green Spaces: How Racism Has Shaped the Climate Crisis with Nia Keith
Many of us are becoming aware of climate changes’ disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations. A study released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021 showed that communities of color are “particularly vulnerable to the greatest impacts of climate change” and “that the most severe harms from climate change fall disproportionately upon underserved communities who are least able to prepare for, and recover from” these impacts. But why are race and climate vulnerability so intertwined? What are people doing to address these impacts? And how can we all play a role in bringing about climate justice?
Join Nia Keith, social justice educator and climate activist, as we examine the connection between societal inequities and climate impacts. Nia will share some of the most dynamic climate justice initiatives today, led by youth and People of Color around the world. Finally, we’ll discuss ways we can all take climate action in our communities and beyond.
Nia Keith is a social justice educator and consultant with more than 15 years' experience working in nonprofit organizations, schools, and cultural institutions. Nia is a co-found of People of Color in the Environment (POCIE), a professional organization for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color working in the environmental and conservation fields. She is also Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the state’s largest land-based conservation organization. Dedicated to cultivating equity and justice in all environments, Nia has spent her career motivating people to address environmental, social, and economic issues. Nia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England.
Cosponsored by Watertown Faces Climate Change a working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment.