Stewards of the Earth: Centering Young Leaders of Color in the Face of Climate Crisis – Non Profit News

Editors’ note: This piece is from Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine’s fall 2024 issue, “Supporting the Youth Climate Justice Movement.”

“We always have been and always will be the stewards of the earth. Children and young people are filled with wonder and reverence for the natural world and are imparted with the hope of the generation that brought them here. Thus, young people who have maintained that tie to our planet are crucial for this movement.”¹

Solutions to climate chaos must be rooted in racial justice and prioritize community-driven approaches; thus, we must look to frontline communities for input and guidance.

So spoke Murphy Barney, a 2023 Young Climate Leaders of Color cohort member based in Vermont. She is a Two Spirit Shoshone and Hoopa sister, doula, author, storyteller, and land steward, whose work is rooted in writing, storytelling, and organizing. Barney describes her time in the YCLC cohort as having provided her with the necessary reminder that “we are never starting over or on our own. Rather, we are a part of an infinite web of beings and people, past, present, and future, who will steward this earth and her bountiful offerings.”² And not just part of, but central. As she observed:

Indigenous communities alone safeguard and steward 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity. We belong in this movement because of our ways of knowing how to protect and respect the planet’s brilliance, which helps us to right-size our place in our ecosystems. When we have leadership roles, we make decisions that benefit all our relations for generations to come.³

“First and Worst”

We are facing a climate crisis. Communities of color—Black and Indigenous communities, in particular— experience disproportionate impacts from climate change despite contributing the least to the ongoing crisis.⁴ Frontline communities—those experiencing the consequences of climate change “first and worst”—are inordinately burdened by the extremes of our changing climate, leading to an exacerbated threat to health, public safety, and economic stability.⁵ In addition, those on the front lines of climate change remain grossly underresourced and receive lackluster support—financial and otherwise—to implement solutions to the specific needs of their communities.

Historically, in the United States, BIPOC communities have been disproportionately impacted by the harmful effects of climate change, due in part to long-standing systemic inequities rooted in racism that render these communities more vulnerable.⁶ Solutions to climate chaos must be rooted in racial justice and prioritize community-driven approaches; thus, we must look to frontline communities for input and guidance. However, access to resources that enable solutions often requires understaffed and underresourced community-based organizations to jump through unrealistic hoops.⁷

And BIPOC communities continue to navigate the lasting effects of the triple pandemic of racialized violence, COVID-19, and climate change.⁸ The federal government has lifted its COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration, but the declaration’s rippling influence on the US economy is still heavily felt: 2023 labor force participation rates are improving, but they are yet to return to their previous levels;⁹ housing instability is at a high;¹⁰ and impacts of the triple pandemic on mental and physical health are increasing.¹¹ Furthermore, community-based and smaller organizations struggle to sustain themselves as they aid those on the front lines most impacted by the realities of this triple pandemic, given the increased expenses for precautionary measures to ensure safety.¹²

BIPOC communities, significantly more likely to be burdened by such economic upheavals,¹³ are also, of course, getting hit hardest by the hotter days,¹⁴ flooding,¹⁵ fires, displacement,¹⁶ and health impacts of climate change¹⁷—and all compounded by the ongoing burdens born generations in the past. Black people, for instance, are 40 percent more likely to live in areas that experience deaths related to extreme weather temperatures—a statistic that rises to 59 percent as the planet’s temperature increases.¹⁸  Status quo policymaking continues to underresource and push to the margins BIPOC and low-income communities.

People’s Climate Innovation Center

People’s Climate Innovation Center (Climate Innovation) works to fundamentally shift, subvert, and transform top-down planning and systems to be more community driven, led, and stewarded. It does so in an effort to move beyond incremental mitigation and adaptation efforts to address the complex climate challenges, and drive solutions and decision-making that center these communities and their expertise.¹⁹ Our leadership development approach recognizes that we must build transformative movement-building practices based in shared vision, deepening relationships, community power, and interconnected solutions that intervene at multiple levels. And we anchor our process in a collaboratively created framework that is rooted in essential elements of community-driven planning and its reflected principles.²⁰

To counteract the negative impacts of generations of inequitable policies and practices, we not only highlight the experiences of frontline communities but also provide them with resources, funding, and support.²¹ We know that the depth and breadth of communities’ expertise far surpass the vulnerabilities placed on them, and we are committed, through our core programs, to intergenerational movement building that centers, amplifies, and uplifts the voices, experiences, and prowess of youth changemakers in the climate justice arena.

Our Black-led team is committed to moving resources and power to meet the needs and priorities of frontline communities, including our youth. The opportunities provided by our core youth programs—Young Black Climate Leaders and Young Climate Leaders of Color—are vital to combating the insurmountable circumstances underserved communities face, while building capacity for lasting, community-led change and setting the stage for a better, more equitable future.²²

YBCL, our flagship program, supports a growing, vibrant ecosystem of young Black leaders between the ages of 18 and 28 who are successfully advocating for and transforming their communities toward racial and environmental justice. The program provides young Black leaders with opportunities to expand their environmental and climate leadership roles, funding community-based projects at various levels that are rooted in climate and racial justice—initiatives that run the gamut from land rematriation, food systems, and arts and culture to tracking the impacts of air pollution on different communities. In addition, cohort members receive monthly professional development trainings on conflict resolution, strategic communications, and other areas that might influence their work. The program is financed by YBCL’s youth-governed Youth Futures Fund, which awards funding to young Black leaders working in racial and environmental justice.²³

“YBCL, in its present and its future, is the manifestation of an irresistible freedom dream,” says Corrine Van Hook-Turner, CEO of Climate Innovation.²⁴ “Centering and nurturing our young Black leaders’ bold, boundless brilliance is an essential pathway to living into the Black futures we know are possible [and] building toward collective liberation intergenerationally and intersectionally.”²⁵

Since launching in 2020, YBCL has supported nearly 350 youth nationwide, granting nearly $400,000 in funding for climate justice projects across the United States.²⁶ In 2023, the program distributed $42,000 to 10 exceptional young leaders, and mentored them via monthly professional development and peer learning sessions to nurture and nourish their evolution as the next generation of leaders in our movements.²⁷

“YBCL took a chance with me, which [is what] most youth of color need—just a little investment,” said Kieshaun White, a 2022 YBCL cohort member.²⁸ White’s project seeks to educate Fresno, CA, youth about environmental racism and how it shows up in their community as poor air quality—and what they can do to address it. “[My YBCL] award has helped take my work to the next level. It provided me with the opportunity to expand my project to do more in-depth work with youth to teach them about climate change, environmental justice, and environmental racism,” said White.²⁹

For Sarah Martin, a 2022 cohort member and former steward of the youth-governed YBCL Youth Futures Fund,

The YBCL program has been a transformative force in my life, shaping me into an environmental and climate leader and kindling my passion for sharing the transformative stories emerging in my community. It granted me the opportunity to spotlight critical initiatives, such as Black People Who Hike—a St. Louis– based environmental justice organization committed to empowering, educating, and engaging Black people to explore the outdoors. With the support from YBCL and People’s Climate Innovation Center, I had the privilege of joining BPWH’s 2022 National Park Tour, capturing and sharing the inspiring narratives of Black hikers. This experience was incredibly enriching, equipping me with invaluable leadership skills in communication, conflict resolution, and deep community engagement. I am immensely grateful for the program and the boundless opportunities it has provided. Serving as a steward for the next generation of grant applicants was an honor, allowing me to give back to a program that has poured so much into me.³⁰

The impact of work such as White and Martin are doing in their respective communities—as demonstrated by grant reports and other impact assessments—has enabled Climate Innovation to seek out and secure additional funding that expands the reach of our youth cohorts, ensuring that yet more youth of color have access to the support they need to sustain and scale their projects. This year, we are proud to bring 15 new members into the YBCL fold, awarding $100,000 in grants to young leaders—nearly $60,000 more than was awarded in 2023.³¹

The eagerness we have seen to reapply to, share, amplify, and support these programs is a clear indication of the current gaps in funding and support for youth of color in need and toward their leadership development.

In 2021, the success of YBCL and its positive impact on youth leaders as solution makers inspired the launch of its sibling program, YCLC, to ensure that young people of color are also resourced financially and within a national network of like-minded movement builders, so that climate justice solutions center the needs of those most impacted. Like YBCL, YCLC aims to build a national network of young leaders of color who are learning, growing, and advancing climate justice work in their own communities. The YCLC program seeks to immerse youth nationwide in climate justice, arts, story-based advocacy, cultural strategy, targeted direct action, community organizing, transformative change, ecological principles, and leadership development led by experienced strategists, leaders, and political activators, while providing space for youth to develop and shape climate justice projects into what they want to see and what they feel serves them and their communities.³²

Looking to the Future

In the four years since the development and launch of our youth programs, the impact has been far reaching, creating a legacy and setting the stage for communities to choose their own destinations in the face of adversity—in particular, racism and the looming climate crisis. In 2023, we expanded our youth cohort opportunities to youth of color in Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa;³³ and in November 2024, 40 additional cohort members will be selected to join and contribute to the growing network of young leaders.

The programs have created a revolving door of a kind—a circular and reciprocal ecosystem that is committed to reaching back and bringing forward more youth to ensure that as many as possible feel supported and are equipped to govern and lead amid climate chaos. The eagerness we have seen to reapply to, share, amplify, and support these programs is a clear indication of the current gaps in funding and support for youth of color in need and toward their leadership development. This is especially true for those on untraditional paths—for example, youth who do not pursue higher education; young farmers; and young people who choose to launch their own businesses. Investing in this kind of youth leadership development is what anchors us, as we look to the future.

As Van Hook-Turner described it:

Remember the saying “Nothing about us without us”? Remember FUBU—“For Us, By Us”? That’s what we’re investing in. Their dreams, their vision, their design, their innovation, their solutions, their stewardship! Giving is a gift, and we set our young leaders up for success when we sustain what we invest in.³⁴

And as Jaime Love, director of programs at Climate Innovation, reminds us:

The climate justice movement was started by Black and Brown people. We have many incredible leaders who pioneered the paths and have been doing this work for decades. At some point, though, they will have to pass the baton. It is essential that we support the next generation of climate leaders of color so that they are prepared to continue leading this work for years to come. YBCL and YCLC provide a space for folks to see themselves in this work, and a national network of leaders to grow with and learn from.³⁵

Notes

1. Author interview with 2023 Young Climate Leaders of Color cohort member Murphy Barney, June 18, 2024.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Kira Sullivan-Wiley and Megan Jungwiwattanaporn, “People Who’ve Contributed Least to Climate Change Are Most Affected By It,” The Pew Charitable Trusts, May 22, 2023, www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/05/22/people-whove-contributed-least-to-climate-change-are-most-affected-by-it.
5. Carolyn Holland, “Centering Frontline Communities,” Stories of Home (blog), Ecotrust, last modified February 16, 2023, ecotrust.org/centering-frontline-communities/.
6. See Katherine G. Quinn et al., “The COVID-19, racism, and violence syndemic: Evidence from a qualitative study with Black residents of Chicago,” SSM—Qualitative Research in Health 3 (June 2023): 1–10.
7. Kyle Harris, “Foundation Wars: Struggling Nonprofits Beg Foundations to Cut the Red Tape,” Westword, January 26, 2021, www.westword.com/arts/jami-duffy-foundations-need-to-stop-asking-nonprofits-to-jump-through-hoops-11886249.
8. See Jean C. Bikomeye et al., “Resilience and Equity in a Time of Crises: Investing in Public Urban Greenspace Is Now More Essential Than Ever in the US and Beyond,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 16 (August 2021): 8420.
9. Mitchell Hartman, “Labor force participation approaches pre-pandemic levels,” Marketplace, September 1, 2023, www.marketplace.org/2023/09/01/labor-force-participation-approaches-pre-pandemic-levels/.
10. “2023 State of the Nation’s Housing report: 4 key takeaways,” Habitat for Humanity, accessed September 4, 2024, www.habitat.org/costofhome/2023-state-nations-housing-report-lack-affordable-housing.
11. See Bikomeye et al., “Resilience and Equity in a Time of Crises.”
12. Harris, “Foundation Wars.”
13. “Natural Disasters Exacerbate Wealth Inequality,” National Low Income Housing Coalition, September 4, 2018, nlihc.org/resource/natural-disasters-exacerbate-wealth-inequality.
14. See Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts (Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2021).
15. See Oliver E. J. Wing et al., “Inequitable patterns of US flood risk in the Anthropocene,” Nature Climate Change 12 (January 2022): 156–62.
16. “How climate change impacts refugees and displaced communities,” USA for UNHCR, January 26, 2024, www.unrefugees.org/news/how-climate-change-impacts-refugees-and-displaced-communities/.
17. “Climate change,” World Health Organization, October 12, 2023, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health.
18. Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States, 35.
19. See People’s Climate Innovation Center website, accessed September 6, 2024, www.climateinnovation.net.
20. See Rosa Gonzalez, Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning: A Framework (National Association of Climate Resilience Planners, 2017).
21. “Manifesting Abundance: A Year of Amplifying and Supporting Community-Led Climate Solutions,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, December 14, 2023, www.climateinnovation.net/news-events-and-job-openings/manifesting-abundance-a-year-of-amplifying-and-supporting-community-led-climate-solutions.
22. See “Young Black Climate Leaders,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, accessed September 6, 2024, www.climateinnovation.net/ybcl; and “Young Climate Leaders of Color,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, accessed September 6, 2024, www.climateinnovation.net/yclc.
23. “2023 YBCL Futures Fund Application Launches,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, March 23, 2023, www.climateinnovation.net/news-events-and-job-openings/youth-futures-fund-2023; “Climate Innovation Donation Page,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, accessed September 6, 2024, msc.cividesk.com/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1; and “Applications Open for the 2024 Young Black Climate Leaders Youth Futures Fund,” Marine Biology, College of the Environment, University of Washington, March 21, 2024, marinebiology.uw.edu/2024/03/21/applications-open-for-the-2024-young-black-climate-leaders-youth-futures-fund/.
24. Author interview with Climate Innovation’s CEO, Corrine Van Hook-Turner, February 20, 2024.
25. Ibid. For more on investments in Black communities, see Shontrice Barnes, “Building Power in Black Communities Starts with Investments in Black Communities,” Blog: The latest from Prosperity Now., Prosperity Now, February 20, 2024, prosperitynow.org/blog/building-power-black-communities-starts-investments-black-communities.
26. Per Climate Innovation’s internal grant information.
27. Ibid.
28. Author interview with 2022 Young Black Climate Leaders cohort member Kieshaun White, February 16, 2024.
29. Ibid.
30. Author interview with 2022 Young Black Climate Leaders cohort member Sarah Martin, February 19, 2024.
31. Per Climate Innovation’s internal grant information.
32. “Young Climate Leaders of Color,” People’s Climate Innovation Center, accessed September 6, 2024, www.climateinnovation.net/yclc.
33. YCLC: Young Climate Leaders of Color FAQs (Young Climate Leaders of Color, 2024), cdn.prod.website–files.com/62a3ae452500bf6c7a3b9483/669ec15957118d0046349f42_2024%20YCLC%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf.
34. Author interview with Van Hook-Turner, February 20, 2024.
35. Author interview with Climate Innovation’s director of programs, Jaime Love, February 21, 2024.