Dr. Dorceta TAY presents on Martin Luther King Jr.’s environmental activism and argues that the Yale community should do more for environmental justice.
Janalie Cobb
Contributing Reporter
Yale Daily News
Friday’s lecture hall was filled with Yale students, faculty, and other community members as Dorceta Taylor ENV85 GRD88 GRD91, senior associate dean of diversity equity and inclusion at the Yale School of the Environment. She spoke on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s environmental justice activism and the importance of a holistic perspective on environmental studies.
Taylor has had a long, successful career in studying sociology and environmental activism. Much of her research focuses on the race, gender, and class dynamics inherent to environmental activism. Taylor’s presentation covered not only what environmental justice was, but how King made it possible through his work. Fransha Dace GRD 27, explained that environmental justice is a way to ensure everyone is protected.
Dace stated that environmental justice means ensuring that everyone has access to the environment they need. Not only the natural spaces they have access, but also their political and food environments. Ensure that these institutions support all.
Ashley Bell, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Environment explained that environmental justice ensures that a person’s existence in a specific neighborhood does not lead to a death sentence.
Taylor says that King isn’t often considered an environmental activist, but it is important for environmental texts to include Black civil right activists. Taylor actually said that environmental justice activism is also evident in the work and speeches of W.E.B. Harriet Tubman, DuBois
One of the things that I do in my work is to make connections other people don’t make. [between civil rights activism and environmental justice activism], Taylor explained.
Taylor was raised in rural Jamaica and is proud to have been a part of environmental activism and studies. Taylor noticed a marked difference when she moved to the United States. Taylor said that she was surprised to find that there were so few Black students in Yale’s advanced biology classes. She also found it hard to believe that Black people are not interested in the environment. Taylor began to research racial disparities among environmental studies. All she found pointed to the same conclusion, that Black people are not interested environment.
Taylor knew that this was false. Taylor realized this and focused her efforts on environmental justice, blending environmental studies and justice and equity. Taylor’s work is to ensure that all members of the community can be represented.
Bell said that history has shown us that if we attempt to address issues using a single lens or siloed approach, the end result will undoubtedly not have addressed large segments of the community.
Taylor spoke about King in her presentation. He was brought from Alabama as a teenager to Connecticut to work on farms alongside other Black boys.
Taylor stated that these young men were told lies about how much they would make, how their food was restricted, and that their work hours were 12 hours.
Taylor explained that these students were elite Black students who were brought to Connecticut to work in the field. Where was the humanity! Where were the renowned professors from Yale, Harvard and MIT? Why were they so blind to the inequities happening?
Taylor called on people today to be aware of environmental injustices and not blind as she stated that Yale community members were when King was in Connecticut.
Taylor stated that it strikes me as very nearsighted for people in elite academic spaces if they don’t look out and see injustices and inequalities and speak up about them regardless of their skin color.
Taylor and Bell both believe that Yale students interested learning more about environmental justice need to make use of University resources. Bell suggested that students begin by doing a Google search for various terms and concepts. Then, they should make use of the University’s experts, seminars, and other events.
Taylor agreed and explained how she did her majority of her research without any help in the early stages of her career. Taylor also stated that environmental justice was not a field of study at the time.
Here I was as a student [at Yale]Taylor stated that there was no such thing as environmental justice. It is now very common for students. Make sure you take the time to read.
Dace also encouraged Yale’s community to reach out and get more information, particularly from the School of the Environment Justice, Equity, Sustainability and Diversity Initiative.
Let’s start looking at these things with a Yale education. Taylor said. One day, we might find a Martin Luther King in a factory somewhere or a Thurgood Marshal.
Bell and Taylor also stressed that Yale students should ensure that they do not become the focus of the conversation when they are educating.
Bell said that students should be ready to listen.
[Students need to]Bell advised that they should be prepared to see their mindset challenged. Accept that you may feel helpless at times. Above all, be willing and able to work as an ally.The Yale School of the Environments’ New Horizons Conference in Conservation will be held on March 29-31. It will discuss similar topics like environmental equity and justice, climate actions, and how you can get started in climate change research.