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Destigmatize HIV/AIDS.
On the last day of Rolling Loud, a prominent hip-hop festival, rapper DaBaby became the subject of countless headlines after making insensitive, homophobic remarks at the start of his performance. Despite receiving backlash, DaBaby initially defended his statement, causing swift criticism amongst fans. His homophobic comments fed off of negative stigma against HIV-positive people. They also perpetuate the false narrative that only promiscuous gay people have HIV/AIDS. Stigma against people with HIV, homophobia, and racism are especially harmful to those with multiple marginalized identities.
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Donate to NAESM, an organization committed to the wellbeing of Black gay men.
Use the CDC’s Stigma Language Guide to avoid promoting HIV/AIDS stigma in everyday conversations.
GET EDUCATED
By Sydney Cobb (she/her)
On the last day of Rolling Loud, a prominent hip-hop festival, rapper DaBaby became the subject of countless headlines after making insensitive, homophobic remarks at the start of his performance. Despite receiving backlash, DaBaby initially defended his statement, causing swift criticism amongst fans. His homophobic comments fed off of negative stigma against HIV-positive people. They also perpetuate the false narrative that only promiscuous gay people have HIV/AIDS. Stigma against people with HIV, homophobia, and racism are especially harmful to those with multiple marginalized identities.
HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, can be transmitted through anal or vaginal sex, or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment (CDC). Contrary to popular belief, plenty of people aside from men who have sex with men (MSM) contract HIV: “In 2019, heterosexual people made up 23% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and six dependent areas” (HIV.gov). The association between HIV and same-sex sexual contact or intravenous drug use can dissuade people from getting tested or treated, even though you can contract HIV from heterosexual sex in a monogamous relationship.
Among men who have sex with men (MSM), Black men are the most highly affected group, accounting for 39% of HIV diagnoses resulting from male-to-male sexual contact (Kaiser Family Foundation). Incarcerated men who have sex with men (MSM) are especially vulnerable to HIV. Misconceptions regarding HIV/AIDS often lead people to believe that being HIV-positive is a result of negligence. This notion fails to account for how systematic factors like mass incarceration, poverty, and lack of healthcare access contribute to Black MSM infection rates.
In 2018, there were 2,272 inmates per 100,000 Black men, compared to 392 inmates per 100,000 white men (Pew Research Center). Chances of acquiring HIV in prison are high for all incarcerated Black men due to inmates’ lack of access to condoms or medicine to prevent or treat HIV. The lack of testing and treatment resources for inmates directly contributes to the amount of people who unknowingly transmit HIV to other prisoners (Prison Policy Initiative).
The American healthcare system’s sordid history of neglecting African Americans has created a sense of distrust among the Black community: “About two-thirds of medically disenfranchised Black and Hispanic people said they don't feel like the health care system treats all patients fairly” (WebMD). Black people’s fear of mistreatment in healthcare settings makes them less likely to get tested for HIV or seek treatment if they have already been diagnosed. In addition, many impoverished gay Black people have little to no opportunities to get tested regularly because employment and housing discrimination have barred them from accessing healthcare.
Society has systematically oppressed people living with HIV as well as gay Black men. The intersection of homophobia and racism makes gay Black men with HIV feel isolated and ashamed. Having two oppressed identities already makes gay Black men the subject of discrimination and social ostracism, but having HIV imposes entirely different stereotypes on them. This internalized stigma often leads to low self-esteem and makes people afraid to disclose their health status.
One in two Black gay and bisexual men is likely to become HIV positive in his lifetime (CDC). The odds are undoubtedly stacked against the Black gay male community, yet somehow they are often forgotten in the response to HIV/AIDS. Many community-based programs and organizations are so focused on supporting the gay community as a whole that they fail to acknowledge the unique struggle Black gay men face. In order to destigmatize HIV/AIDS, society must change the general attitude toward HIV-positive people. Supporting HIV-positive people ranges from ensuring Black communities have access to PrEP (Anti-Racism Daily), medication that significantly reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV, to adjusting how we speak about the virus.
By changing our language when discussing HIV/AIDS and ridding ourselves of negative stereotypes about HIV-positive individuals— specifically gay Black men— we can make it a less taboo subject. Decreasing this taboo would benefit heterosexual HIV-positive people by minimizing their fear of getting tested or disclosing their status, and it would elimate the negative stereotypes surrounding non-HIV-positive Queer and Trans People of Color. Having open conversations about HIV/AIDS will increase awareness of its dangers and encourage people to take their sexual health seriously.
Key Takeaways
The intersection of racism and homophobia negatively influences the way HIV/AID stigma affects gay Black men.
Internalized HIV/AIDS stigma often makes people who struggle with the disease feel isolated and discriminated against.
Despite being one of the most highly affected communities, gay Black men lack resources centered around HIV/AIDS prevention and care options.
Integrate the National Spelling Bee.
On July 8, 2021, Zaila Avant-garde made history as the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee (NYTimes). At only fourteen years old, Zaila became the first Black contestant to be crowned champion since 1998 Scripps winner Jody-Anne Maxwell of Kingston, Jamaica. While Zaila's monumental victory has sparked well-deserved celebration among the Black community, it has also called attention to the lack of Black representation at the national contest. Racial disparities in the spelling bee echo racial disparities in education at large.
TAKE ACTION
Donate to the American Center for Transforming Education, an institute working with state legislators and policymakers to reform the United States’s education system.
Donate to 826 National, a network of writing and publishing centers aimed at developing writing skills among students from marginalized communities.
Celebrate Zaila Avant-garde, Jody-Anne Maxwell, and every other successful, young Black speller.
GET EDUCATED
By Sydney Cobb (she/her)
On July 8, 2021, Zaila Avant-garde made history as the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee (NYTimes). At only fourteen years old, Zaila became the first Black contestant to be crowned champion since 1998 Scripps winner Jody-Anne Maxwell of Kingston, Jamaica. While Zaila's monumental victory has sparked well-deserved celebration among the Black community, it has also called attention to the lack of Black representation at the national contest. Racial disparities in the spelling bee echo racial disparities in education at large.
Only one out of eleven 2021 National Spelling Bee finalists were Black, and there have only been 2 Black prize winners since Scripps’ inaugural tournament in 1925. In contrast, there have been a total of 26 Indian American champions since 1999 and nine out of eleven finalists for the 2021 Spelling Bee were Indian American (The Hindu). The lack of diversity in the Bee is largely due to anti-Black practices upheld by the spelling bee industry for years and the United States’s unequal distribution of academic resources.
In 1925, nine publications collaborated to create the first National Spelling Bee (Long Reads). The National Bee claimed to uphold an “open door” policy regarding Black students’ eligibility to compete, but the local newspapers that sponsored the National Spelling Bee’s local qualifying competitions were not required to abide by the same rules.
In 1962, teenager George F. Jackson wrote to President John F. Kennedy requesting that the white-only spelling bee contest in Lynchburg, Virginia be open to children of color. The Black community in Lynchburg generally believed the continued segregation of the local spelling bee was an attempt to set back the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education (Long Reads). It was not until the NAACP threatened legal action that the National Spelling Bee’ss director clarified the competition’s anti-discrimination policy.
Though local spelling bee competitions may no longer be explicitly racially segregated, racist disparities in wealth and education continue to serve the same role. “It’s now common for spellers to be coached by other past competitors,” said Dr. Puwan Dhingra, “who can charge about $200 an hour for their services” (Time). Such fees are especially prohibitive for Black families, whose average household wealth is less than $20,000 (Brookings). Zaila Avant-garde had three spelling tutors and used a preparatory computer program to assist her in learning approximately 13,000 words per day. She acknowledges that it would not have been possible without money.
Exclusion from spelling bees ties into larger disparities that block many low-income students of color from attaining higher levels of literacy. Public schools are funded locally, so low-income communities of color dealing with the aftermath of redlining and segregation are continually underfunded. One 2016 study found that “just the increased presence of minority students actually deflated a district’s funding level” (The Atlantic). “For every student enrolled, the average nonwhite school district receives $2,226 less than a white school district” (EdBuild).
Funding for library and media centers in marginalized communities has also declined for years. “In elementary schools with the highest ethnic minority populations, regardless of poverty levels, there are fewer library specialists per 100 students than low ethnic minority status” (National Education Association). Underfunded or nonexistent libraries deprive students of color from enjoying free, educational resources that could be useful for improving their literacy skills.
As a result, “18 percent of black 4th-graders scored proficient or above in reading; the figure for white 4th-graders was 45 percent. For 8th graders, the percentages were 15 and 42 percent” (Forbes). Seeing as the eldest age of eligibility for the Scripps National Spelling Bee is 15, there is clear correlation between low literacy levels among young Black students and the lack of Black spelling bee contestants.
Racially and economically diversifying the National Spelling Bee would show African American children that they are fully capable of succeeding in any space they wish to occupy. Doing this requires repairing the United States’s public school system and would allow low-income students of color to gain the necessary skills to thrive in academic endeavors like spelling bees. Organizations like 826 National are working to develop student writers in marginalized communities, filling in the gaps in an unjust educational system.
It’s only a matter of time before more African American children follow in Zaila Avant-garde and Jody-Anne Maxwell’s footsteps. We should celebrate them as we build an equitable education system that will allow us to truly integrate the National Spelling Bee.
Key Takeaways
The competitive spelling industry excluded and mistreated African American spellers for years.
Competitive spelling reforms can actually increase inequitable privileges of wealthy families.
Zaila Avant-garde’s victory at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee will likely inspire an entire generation of young Black spellers, so it’s imperative that race and socioeconomic status don’t bar them from succeeding.
Quannah ChasingHorse on Generational Change
Welcome to Day Six of our Earth Week series!
I'm incredibly inspired by how Quannah leads. For today's conversation, we interviewed this 18-year-old land protector on how the climate crisis is impacting Alaska, particularly Indigenous communities protecting their lands.
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Nicole and Sydney
Take Action
Donate to the Indigenous Environmental Network, an alliance of grassroots Indigenous Peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth.
In Conversation
What’s your earliest memory of getting involved in climate justice?
Well, I grew up out on the land: hunting, fishing, dog mushing, living my way of life. And I noticed little changes in the weather and environment. My mom would explain to me what was happening. I grew up in the movement; my mom and my aunties are all engaged in local organizations and steering committees.
Every time they would come over. I would always sit at the table and listen to them talk about whatever's going on, learning as I grew. They showed me their power through their advocacy work. Seeing that allowed me to become that as well.
The first action I took was when I was in seventh grade. In our school district here in Fairbanks, Alaska, they were having a public meeting to decide whether to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. I was the only person that showed up and advocated for it. An elder listening to it on the radio heard and came in halfway to back me up.
I was grateful for that. Being a little seventh grader sitting in front of all of these – to me at the time – big, important people were very intimidating. All of them were non-native, and I didn't think they would understand. I remember just walking in there and speaking from my heart. They ended up changing it. I was really proud because if I didn't show up that day, it would have never happened.
That's powerful. One of the things I wanted to ask you is specifically about your work in Alaska. What is the urgency of protecting your lands in Alaska?
Yeah. So I did a lot of work over the last two years with Trump in office, trying to drill in our sacred lands in the Arctic Refuge. I was rallying against that, and emphasizing how it significantly contributes to climate change here in Alaska.
The climate crisis is affecting Alaska at twice the rate of anywhere else. It's kind of crazy that not a lot of people know about that. It feels the focus is on other threats in the mainland U.S. But it’s the same, except worse, here in Alaska. We get fires every summer that burn down villages. Our fish tank almost got burned down this year.
Also, the ground is mostly permafrost, especially on the coast. Because of climate change, many of the villages and communities along the coast are collapsing into the ocean, and the water is rising, which is making these people who lived there for generations leave their ancestral homes. It’s dangerous.
Back when I was ten years old, we would get about 60 fish a day in our net or fish wheel. Now we only get, like, eight, and half of them aren't good to eat because of how toxic the waters have become due to the oil and gas development up North, and the mining. Both are centered in areas where our fish lay eggs. So a lot is happening here. And it's really frustrating because we get it just as bad if not worse, but nobody talks about it.
So that’s why I push for advocacy. I think sometimes I’m a rude awakening because not many people accept the fact that the climate crisis affects our way of life and our future generations. I’m afraid that our future generations won’t get the opportunity to learn hands-on, just from books and pictures. That’s what I fear.
Can you expand on that a little bit?
Yeah. My grandma tried her best to raise my mom and my uncle out on the land. My mom grew up on the trapline – dog mushing and hunting, fishing, living in relationship with the land. And my mom wanted that for us. She wanted us to learn and be exposed to that. So that’s all we know. When we came to the city, we hardly even knew what chips were. We felt so thankful for stuff. And it puts it in perspective for me because I think about what my ancestors went through – even two or three generations ago – and how much they endured. I’m so lucky to be here today.
In the future, I fear that we will still be here, but we won’t get to practice our ways of life if we keep continuing on this path, and the government doesn’t allow Indigenous people to protect our land as we have for millennia. 80% of the world's biodiversity is protected by Indigenous people from all over the world. We need society to recognize that and let Indigenous people be a part of these conversations and sit at the table that makes those decisions. That’s why everyone was so excited about Deb Haaland being appointed as secretary. I remember waking up and hearing that news and feeling so relieved and hopeful. It felt like I could relax a little bit more. We have someone on our side now.
When we talk about future generations, I always say that I want my kids and my grandchildren to be able to hunt and go out on the land and feel as connected and as delighted as I do when I go out on the land. It's a way of coping and healing for me. When you're out there, I realize and recognize that this is where my people are from. This is where we have been for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. And we’re still here.
You mentioned the intersection of environmental racism or environmental justice and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. Can you tell me more about that, and how it influences your work?
Yeah, environmental racism is definitely a big thing. Not a lot of people believe or understand it. But it really bugs me. My aunt was a victim of MMIW. She was killed out on the street. I can't imagine that being my daughter. It was already such a loss to me. That was my auntie, someone that I grew up with, someone that taught me how to bead. It’s sad that she became a victim of that.
But a lot of these camps that were built for building pipelines, or for the oil and gas industry, are located on our sacred lands. This is happening everywhere; the Dakotas, the Amazon, and here in Alaska. They always choose these areas because they don't want the people who profit from the extraction to suffer from its adverse effects. Indigenous people are the least to contribute to these things but feel the impact of it twice more than anyone else. We are the ones that are the frontline. These are our communities that they are in. This is the land that they're stealing. This is who they're stealing from.
This colonization allows for the mistreatment of the people here, too. And it breaks my heart because I'm afraid for my friends and their families. I feel like even in the cities, you can't go outside. I never go anywhere alone, ever.
Yeah. There's so much already being taken from the land, and then that added level of robbing people the right of feeling safe even to be outside. It’s awful. What have you learned most on your journey? Do you use the word activist for yourself?
I don’t *laughs*. Anyone can be an activist for anything, and I love it! Because if you're passionate about something, be an advocate for it, go for it. But for me, it's a little bit deeper. It's literally about my way of life, about my people,and about my future generations. This is who I am, in my identity as an Indigenous person, and how much we've already lost. That's why I say climate warrior, land protector, and storyteller.
I've learned a lot. Growing up, my mom always reminded me to “never forget who you are and where you come from,” and I stand by that. As I become part of this movement more and more, I realize how easy it is to get lost in it. It can be traumatizing because I’m constantly discussing how hurt people are because of this system. And people are often so unaware about the pain we’re experiencing, sometimes the pain they’re causing.
I grew up wanting to be a model, but I never saw an Indigenous model in a magazine or hardly in movies unless they were in a Western movie way back when. It felt bizarre because I saw everyone else except myself. That's when you start forgetting who you are. Society is changing to be more inclusive and diverse. We're starting to see more and more Indigenous people being uplifted. But it’s going to take time.
And through it, you have to be okay with yourself. I’ve learned that you can’t ignore how you’re feeling. I’m starting to open up more about my experience with mental health. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depressive disorder last year, but I've been struggling with it since elementary school and just never talked about it. I never felt like my feelings were valid. And so that's why I always constantly remind myself, “never forget who you are and where you come from,” because it reminds me how lucky I am even to be here.
Yeah, absolutely. What is bringing you joy right now?
I love hot Cheetos and pickles. I don't know. It's kind of a res girl thing.
Together, at the same time? I’ve never tried this!
Separate or together, either way. It's so good. I eat it all the time. It's probably not very healthy *laughs*. I’ve also been resting a lot more than usual, and I think it's because I was burning myself out for a little bit. I'm trying to get into a healthier schedule, so I don't overwork myself. I've been snowboarding, so that’s what’s been making me happy lately.
About Quannah
Quannah ChasingHorse, age 18, is from the Han Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota tribes and lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. She is an Indigenous land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting those sacred lands from oil development and fighting for climate justice. Quannah’s deep connection to the lands and her people’s way of life guides and informs everything she does and stands for. Quannah sits on the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Climate Justice Task Force, which was created as a result of a climate emergency resolution she and her friends wrote and passed at the AFN Annual Conference in 2019. She is passionate about Indigenous rights, MMIWG, and representation. She is an avid snowboarder, guitar player, and is apprenticing as a traditional Indigenous tattoo artist. Quannah was honored to make the 2020 list of Teen Vogue’s “Top 21 under 21.” She is an IMG Fashion Model and Actress.
Reflection Questions
What do you hope your future generations can experience during their time on the planet?
What do you know about your ancestors, and their relationship to the land? How may their experiences differ from your relationship to the land today?
View all Interviews
4/26/2021 | Anya Dillard on Effective Organizing
4/25/2021 | Jana Jandal Alrifai on Intersectional Change
4/24/2021 | Alexis Saenz and Community Care
4/23/2021 | Daphne Frias and Disability Justice
4/22/2021 | Mohammad Ahmadi on Environmental Activism
Anya Dillard on Effective Organizing
Welcome to Day Five of our Earth Week series!
Today we're featuring Sydney's interview with Anya Dillard, a 17-year-old activist, philanthropist, content creator, and the founder of The Next Gen Come Up. I loved reading the energy and passion in their conversation.
This is a free, educational newsletter powered by our community. Support our work: share the series this with a friend or donate $8 to keep our work sustainable.
Nicole
Take Action
Support Outdoor Afro, an organization that celebrates and inspires black connections and leadership in nature. Just last year, Outdoor Afro organized its first-ever Black expedition team and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Donate to WeGotNext, which amplifies individual stories of adventure and activism from communities that have been underrepresented in outdoor and environmental spaces.
In Conversation
What do you define as environmental justice and how did you get involved in the movement?
Before I became an activist, I was really into STEM and I was an animal nerd, so I grew up believing that I wanted to become a scientist, environmentalist, zoologist, or something of that nature. When I discovered that racism was such a huge issue in our country, I pivoted into humanities and journalism. The first protest I ever organized was the climate strike at my high school; I organized the walkout and it served as an easy bridge to environmental justice because I understood the whole mission behind the climate change awareness movement. At this same time, I was also dedicated to initializing my Black Lives Matter advocacy and still trying to get an understanding of who I was as a Black Lives Matter and women’s empowerment activist. That event had a lot to do with me just trying to find a middle ground. It was so early in my academic journey that I figured I can just jump in and offer my knowledge. With that being said, my STEM focus growing up helped me to understand the importance of climate change advocacy and that there are many racial and social factors that determine how people are affected by climate change.
You mentioned the climate strike that you organized through your school. Would you say that your education played a role in your environmental advocacy? I know that it isn’t very common for schools to talk about topics like environmental racism and environmental justice.
I didn't start learning about environmental sciences in the sense of race until this year. Before, we would just learn about pollution and whatever, but we never got into that social dynamic. That I saw through reading the newspaper every other day or watching television and being self-educated. When I organized the climate strike, it was very spur of the moment. It was the day of the national climate strike where a bunch of people at schools and universities were walking out of their classes, so I was like “oh, my town is really diverse and my high school doesn’t play about social stuff, so they must be doing something". I get to lunch and I’m like…what’s going on? Everyone was like “we’re not doing anything. There’s no walkout”, so I just walked out with a megaphone running around saying “we’re walking out for the climate strike”. I managed to get a couple hundred people to come out, but still… it boggles my mind that a school as politically and socially aware as mine wasn’t prioritizing climate change awareness. It was also crazy because I was the only main organizer that was a Black girl and I was also the only person who got detention for that protest. But, I just showed up and was like, I’ll take the detention and take one for the team.
When I was out there on the field giving a speech to the kids that were coming out, I said “two years ago, my freshman year, we had a massive March for Our Lives protest after the Parkland shooting and every single one of us came and sat on this field in the cold winter for it because we knew that it could directly affect us at any point in time.” With climate change, people have this idea where it’s like, “Oh, well we’re not seeing the immediate impact… We’re living in the suburbs, so it’s not like we have to deal with anything that’s directly a cause of climate change or pollution.” So they’re like, “Oh yeah it’s a problem, but … we’re good so we’re not going to immediately act on it”. This is the same thing with police brutality; a lot of the Black community can become victims of police brutality at any given time on any given day, but climate change does not pose an imminent threat to us in our mind because it’s like… “Ok, well evolution took a long time, erosion takes a long time, pollution and water contamination take a long time, so regardless of whether one of our family members just spontaneously ends up with cancer or we start wheezing one day and our doctor says “Oh yeah you have asthma”, we don’t even directly correlate that with the fact that we could be living in a polluted community. I definitely think that my education did not necessarily gear me toward environmental awareness, but it gave me a better idea of why there needs to be more attention drawn towards it.
So where do you think that education can start? In the classroom, do you believe that there should be courses on environmental issues, or do you think it’s just a matter of dedicating a month around Earth Day to special education about climate change? In other words, what do you see environmentalist education looking like?
There are so many things that I didn't learn in my freshman through junior year of high school that I learned in my senior year and I’m like, why aren’t these classes mandatory? Environmental science is something that I’m taking now. We just finished talking about urbanization and how certain communities of color are commonly built around contaminated waste sites. We also studied how some communities don’t trust the census. Because of that, the government doesn’t allocate enough resources to these communities I feel that education starts with mandating those kinds of discussion courses that rely on sharing information about how certain industries profit off of spilling waste into impoverished communities.
I definitely think there should be more classes that everyone is forced to take. They don’t have to be rigorous classes; they could just be discussion classes where you cover one topic a day but still make sure that young people are aware that these problems aren’t going away. If anything, these problems are worsening.
I like your emphasis on how important it is for the youth to get involved in environmental justice. What do you think would have been beneficial for older generations to do in terms of environmental justice? Do you think that we can make up for some of the mistakes they made, or do you think that some of the damage is irreversible?
I think that a huge part of making up for the mistakes that past generations made is understanding that there is a knowledge gap. That gap in knowledge is something that adults like to fight Gen-Zers on because they’re like “well, y’all are young and you don’t know anything about life, so how can you teach us anything?” That’s a dangerous, ignorant perspective to have, because if you can't learn something from another age group— especially when it comes to maintaining the health of our planet— then you’re not realizing that there are things that we noticed you didn't do that you didn't even notice you weren't doing to make change. There are things that go back ages… even the fact that race trumps class in the whole environmental scenario. You could be a middle-class Black person living in a good neighborhood making a substantial salary and you’re stillmore likely to be affected by a pollutant waste site than a white person who makes significantly less money than you. For us to be able to pick apart these problems and reconstruct solutions, we have to admit “Ok, we didn't do this, but how can we help y’all get it done or fix whatever happened because of the fact that we didn't get whatever done”.
So what do you think are some of the steps youth can take to get involved in environmental justice? What do you advise them to do in terms of education themselves and taking action?
There are so many great climate activists out there who are dedicated to going green or encouraging people to support causes like clean water and other great initiatives. There’s Little Miss Flint (Amariyanna Copeny), Ron Finley, and Leah Thomas; I personally follow them for knowledge and inspiration. I definitely think that young people should stay educated by following people like that, reading the news, and by googling “what’s happening to the environment? What can I do to donate? What causes are there? What initiatives can I start?” Even just making it a family tradition of planting a tree somewhere every year or encouraging your school to have a beautification day where you go out and raise a bunch of money to buy more flora for your campus are simple activities that can motivate you to be more aware of the environment and encourage other people to look at environmental justice and environmental racism as issues that need to be talked about today.
What was your earliest memory of environmental justice? It can either be something you did or something that someone else did that stood out to you.
My oldest memory is one time I went to New York with my dad when I was really little. He used to drive me up to see my grandma every weekend in Manhattan. We were driving and I remember seeing this factory with smoke coming out of big pillars. I said to him, “that looks nasty. It looks like really dirty air.” And he was like “yeah, dirt and soot get in the air after they manufacture certain things and a lot of that gets put back into the sky”. And I said to him, “well, we're going towards it… people live there and there are apartments there.” When I heard dirty air, I was thinking “then why is anyone surrounding this; that isn’t healthy”. He explained that a lot of the time— because of low-income housing costs and how the government chooses to allocate resources— a lot of low-income housing is built around these places that the government doesn’t want to get rid of. Because of that, a lot of people do get sick. I remember him explaining that to me, and I knew it didn't sound right. Obviously, as a child, you don’t understand the concept of racism and that some people just genuinely don't care about other groups of people’s wellbeing. In this day and age, we see that with not just air, but water pollution as well.
Flint, Michigan is a textbook example of environmental injustice and environmental racism. There were hundreds of thousands of people that were drinking lead-poisoned water just because the government wanted to save some money. That’s insane to me. Just like how riverside towns in Louisiana and Detroit are constantly being compromised by big oil companies dumping all this waste in rivers and stuff like that. We see it every day, yet people choose to ignore them because they predominantly affect communities of color. Because people of color don’t have as much political influence, it’s easy for regulators, politicians, and administrators in these towns to ignore how these issues are affecting us— especially when it’s saving money for whoever the beneficiaries are.
How has your idea of advocacy changed over time?
Before I knew what activism was, I thought that advocates were politicians, but I learned that those are two extremely different things. True advocates are people that don't care about semantics. They don't really care about perception or optics. All they care about is bringing people to the table to address whatever the issue at hand is. There's an art to being a politician. To be a politician in spirit is to be a campaign. You campaign and you say what you want people to receive in a positive light. Advocates who become politicians are the best politicians because being both of those things is what separates good leaders from power hungry people in the government. Learning that was one of the cornerstones of me understanding the differences between politics and advocacy and how they can both support one another.
What’s something you’ve learned on your environmental justice journey that you want readers to take away from this conversation?
I would say that racism and climate change have a lot in common. People love to debate both of their existences, people love to say how either does or doesn’t affect one group, when in reality it affects everyone in the long term. It’s interesting to think about it this way because when we think about racism, we think we’ll be good after we fix our law enforcement system and initiate a reparation system. But in reality, there are a lot of trickle-down effects of racism, and at least one of those falls under the umbrella of environmental change.
I encourage young people to always find these intersections between social issues. Because regardless of what social issue you're passionate about, there are about 10 other causes that are affected by it. Understanding what's really wrong in society has a lot to do with acknowledging that no issue or group of people is individual. We have to be diligent about how things that we disregard everyday are affecting people across the aisle, even when those people may not share our same experience.
What does the future of your environmental justice look like? What are your next steps of advocacy?
I really want to pursue the creative side of my talents and become an advocate to raise awareness for humanistic causes. The creative leg of my brain was founded on things like writing and film— especially when it comes to documentation. In the future, I want to produce documentaries that raise awareness about how anti-environmentalist industries affect indigenous communities and how certain things trickle down to Black communities. I especially want to explore how certain southern communities heavily saturated with Black and latino people have a lack of holistic health resources and how it heightens the level of health issues within our communities.
My mom has always said that I don’t have to completely abandon environmental science just because I want to be creative; there are a lot of things I can do to utilize my creativity to raise awareness about the issues I’m passionate about. I want to continue fundraising, having conversations like this with different media forms, and helping to spread knowledge surrounding environmental racism.
About Anya
Anya Dillard is a 17-year-old activist, philanthropist, content creator, and the founder of The Next Gen Come Up − an organization that encourages youth to pursue activism, explore community service, and raise awareness through creativity. Anya is best known for helping to organize the largest Black Lives Matter protest and the first-ever public Juneteenth celebration in her town's history, becoming the head of her schools first-ever all-female (all POC) student council cabinet, and for her features in The Washington Post, Elle, Seventeen, and Glamour for her extensive activism and philanthropist work. Anya has been a keynote speaker on forums hosted by Howard University, The Clinton Foundation, and the Conversationalist to name a few, and she has also served as a youth mentor for middle school and high school students in classrooms across the nation and in London.
Reflection Questions
What does the word "community" mean to you?
How has the fear of "doing the wrong thing" influenced how you support the social justice movements you care about? What may be a more helpful emotion to lead from?
View all Interviews
4/25/2021 | Jana Jandal Alrifai on Intersectional Change
4/24/2021 | Alexis Saenz and Community Care
4/23/2021 | Daphne Frias and Disability Justice
4/22/2021 | Mohammad Ahmadi on Environmental Activism
Combat food deserts.
Food deserts— defined as “an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods” (Britannica)— are yet another factor that contributes to the health disparities between white people and people of color. Due to economic and social factors, supermarkets and farmer’s markets can be much harder to access in underserved areas, leading civilians to rely on unhealthy food options as their primary source of nutrition. Food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet-related health conditions (American Progress).
Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. More people in the U.S. (and likely around the world) are shoplifting from grocery stores to support themselves during these difficult times. Today's article looks at some of the underlying causes of food inequity that are only exacerbated, not just created, by COVID-19. It's important to remember that we're navigating difficult times because of current conditions and a legacy of oppression that created them. It will take much more than immediate relief to create comprehensive change, but we should do the best we can to help one another – today and tomorrow.
We've officially launched our virtual community! This space is designed for you to connect with others, share resources, hold conversations around our newsletters, and sign up for events. All proceeds support our work, and flexible payment options are available. Patreon subscribers: check Patreon for an access link using your existing subscription.
Thank you so much for making this work possible. If you have the capacity, consider supporting our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Volunteer at local soup kitchens and initiatives that combat food insecurity. Click this link to access a list of initiatives.
Advocate for improved SNAP and WIC benefits that increase monthly spending for individuals to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Find local food banks using this link and donate to nearby food banks or soup kitchens.
GET EDUCATED
By Sydney Cobb (she/her)
Food deserts— defined as “an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods” (Britannica)— are yet another factor that contributes to the health disparities between white people and people of color. Due to economic and social factors, supermarkets and farmer’s markets can be much harder to access in underserved areas, leading civilians to rely on unhealthy food options as their primary source of nutrition. Food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet-related health conditions (American Progress).
Redlining—a leading factor in the creation of food deserts—is defined as an “illegal discriminatory practice in which a mortgage lender denies loans or an insurance provider restricts services to certain areas of a community, often because of the racial characteristics of the applicant’s neighbourhood” (Britannica). Not only did redlining make the process of buying and renting homes more difficult, but it also prevented businesses like grocery stores and restaurants from opening, leaving redlined neighborhoods with little-to-no healthy food options. While the practice of redlining may have been made illegal by the Fair Housing Act in 1968, its effects are still present to this day (Anti-Racism Daily). Redlined neighborhoods— mainly occupied by people of color— are not given the same resources as more affluent communities because they generally house lower-income families. Healthier, more costly grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are less likely to open stores in low-income neighborhoods, forcing redlined communities to shop at less expensive, unhealthy food retailers.
📰 The introduction of grocery stroes like these also indicates that the property values will increase quickly, contributing to gentrification and perpetuating a cyclical process of inequity. Read more in our previous newsletter >
Many urban and rural communities have more convenience stores than supermarkets. Generally speaking, convenience stores tend to sell high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, and do not offer a selection of althernative options like vegetables, fruits, and grains. The distance between food deserts and grocery stores serves as a barrier to members of urban and rural communities who lack transportation options; therefore, they may rely on local convenience stores or fast food restaurants for most of their household food purchases.
While diet-related conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) are a concern for all racial and ethnic groups, statistics prove that they especially affect minority communities.: “The population attributable risk for hypertension and 30-year mortality among white men was 23.8% compared with 45.2% among black men and 18.3% for white women compared with 39.5% for black women” (The American Journal of the Medical Sciences). Hypertension, which increases an individual’s risk of heart disease and stroke, can be largely impacted by one’s diet. Because consuming large amounts of sodium and fats can contribute to the development of hypertension, it is especially concerning that many food deserts— predominantly occupied by people of color—are more likely to sell unhealthy and salty food options. According to a study evaluating the relationship between food deserts and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, hypertension was much more prevalent among participants living in food deserts than those not living in food deserts (American College of Cardiology).
Because many families living in food deserts lack healthy food options, they often have no choice but to feed their families insubstantial, unwholesome food. As a result, the children may eventually develop unhealthy eating habits that become harder to abandon with age, raising the rates of dietary issues within the Black community.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the largest food assistance program in the United States. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) specifically aims to help women and children’s nutritional needs. Intended to provide low-income families with better food access, SNAP is the primary source of nutrition and nourishment for millions of Americans. While SNAP does increase food-insecure families’ access to food, it generally does not provide enough support for people to maintain a healthy diet. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “researchers have estimated that SNAP benefits fall about $11 short per person of the weekly cost of a nutritious meal plan” (CBPP). By increasing SNAP benefits, food desert residents, who are generally a part of the low-income population, will be able to purchase much healthier and more nutritious food.
It's important to note that, as digital grocery shopping becomes more commonplace in the pandemic, many do not accept SNAP. Learn more >
The mere existence of food deserts serves as another example of how systemic racism affects all aspects of life for minorities. Food— one of the human body’s fundamental physiological needs— has been weaponized against people of color (especially Black and Latino individuals). Not only does systemic racism’s connection to food deserts affect adults, who are more susceptible to diet-related health conditions, but it also impacts youth. Children who develop poor eating habits may struggle to participate in physical activities and could ultimately suffer from mental and emotional stress. Children who struggle with serious health conditions tend to display signs of lower self-esteem. In some cases, the intense emotional strain may lead a child to become anxious or depressed.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought more attention to health disparities between racial groups— especially highlighting the effects that underlying health conditions have on an individual’s bodily reaction to the virus. As the world continues to fight the pandemic, people must have access to the fuel they need to stay healthy. More than ever, the country needs to rally together to ensure that communities deemed food deserts have access to nutritious food
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Food deserts are a result of systemic racism and redlining.
Food deserts are directly linked to higher rates of diet-related health conditions, affecting the Black community, and contributing to higher mortality rates.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus makes it even more necessary for people to have trusted and reliable access to diverse food options.
RELATED ISSUES
11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.
8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
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Close the racial wealth gap.
Happy Wednesday! As we continue to analyze the economic impact of racism, we can't forget to acknowledge its lasting legacy. Sydney, one of our newest writers and a high school senior, outlines how our legacy of racism is evident when we look at wealth, particularly wealth accumulation and generational wealth.
Early early readers will be reminded of our Black-owned business newsletter that we wrote fifty years ago (aka June).
Thank you for all your support! If you enjoy this newsletter, consider giving one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.
– Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Support local Black-owned businesses. Refer your friends to the businesses that you have positive experiences with to increase their number of consumers.
Support political candidates who advocate for reparations and programs that are geared toward bridging the racial wealth divide. An executive summary of 10 possible solutions to narrowing the racial wealth gap is linked here.
GET EDUCATED
By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)
The drastic divide between Black and white households’ wealth reveals how centuries of discrimination and inequality have thwarted the African American community from achieving economic prosperity. The racial wealth gap dates all the way back to when the enslavement of Black people began in the 1600s and is still prevalent to this day. While African Americans worked tirelessly on plantations and unwillingly did domestic housework, white people were simultaneously profiting off of their free labor and generating wealth that would later be inherited by their descendants. After years of working without receiving monetary compensation, African Americans were severely disadvantaged because they possessed hardly any assets or money. Once slavery ended, African Americans were abruptly cast into society with little-to-no financial footing, making it incredibly difficult to accumulate wealth. Legal and social barriers such as redlining, segregation, and institutionalized racism prevented African Americans from advancing in society, subsequently prohibiting a majority of the population from amassing generational wealth.
The racial wealth gap refers to the disproportionate divide between Black and white households’ average wealth: “Almost all studies calculate wealth by adding up total assets (e.g., cash, retirement accounts, home, etc.) then subtracting liabilities (e.g., credit card debt, student loans, mortgage, etc.) The resulting figure is your net worth” (Forbes). A typical household’s wealth is made up of ⅔ of housing equity. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the median household wealth for white people is $134,230, compared to Black people’s median of only $11,030. African Americans’ median household wealth is less than 1/10 of their white counterparts’.
A vast majority of statistics that compare wealth and income among races prove that the racial wealth gap is both dramatic and unequal. Even minorities who have received high-level education and come from stable home environments only possess a fraction of what white people in their same position do. “Even the typical black family with a graduate or professional degree had more than $200,000 less wealth than a comparable white family” (Economic Policy Institute). Considering that education is meant to be directly correlated with greater financial success, it is appalling that Black families who have the same level degree as their white counterparts are still not treated as equals. If education is not the way that Black people can become more socially mobile, then what is?
Disparities between the earnings of Black and white people are undeniable. According to Vox, white people aged 16 and older earned a median of $823 per week, compared to only $621 for Black people and $600 for Hispanic people. The gap between racial earnings reflects the presence of discrimination in the workforce and exposes the United States’ inherent racism. The Harvard Business Review stated that “since 1990 white applicants received, on average, 36% more callbacks than black applicants and 24% more callbacks than Latino applicants with identical résumés”. There has been little change since the findings of this study were examined, which proves that hiring rates among Black applicants have remained relatively stagnant. While there are multiple factors that could deter an employer from hiring a certain applicant, it is still evident that there is a noticeable trend of selecting white people over their equally-qualified Black counterparts, which exposes racial bias in the work environment.
The benefits of wealth extend far beyond the possession of material goods. Wealth allows people to purchase houses in safe neighborhoods, receive necessary healthcare, get a strong education, save for retirement, and ultimately pass money down from generation-to-generation. When a family possesses a large sum of generational wealth, their descendants automatically have a safety net that enables them to start businesses, attend costly universities, and make investments.
Because of the cyclical poverty that has been imposed on the Black community as a result of years of oppression, generational wealth among African Americans is much smaller than that of white people. “The Urban Institute found in 2013 that both black people and Hispanic people were five times less likely to receive large gifts or inheritances (of over $10,000, in either case) than white families, and that those gifts were thousands of dollars larger for white families than the minority groups” (Vox). Lack of generational wealth puts the Black community at a severe disadvantage because while white families continue to thrive off of the money they inherit, a considerable amount of African American families have to “start from scratch.” According to the Economic Policy Institute, an inheritance at the median increases wealth by more than $100,000 for white families and only $4,000 for black families. The obvious difference in the amount of inheritances that are afforded to white households versus Black households proves that generational wealth is a leading contributor to the maintenance of white people’s position at the top of the economic pyramid.
Narrowing the racial wealth gap would provide African Americans with a fairer chance at financial success, and bring society one step closer toward repaying the Black community. The United States has not made any significant strides toward bridging the racial wealth gap, so it is imperative that we elect politicians who will advocate for policies that would benefit underprivileged Black families.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The racial wealth gap results from years of slavery, sharecropping, redlining, institutionalized racism, and discrimination in the workplace.
Because the gap has been consistently widening for so many years, it will take a lot of time and the implementation of several government policies to fix the problem.
The racial wealth gap is a reflection of how the United States has systematically failed Black people.
RELATED ISSUES
6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.
6/20/2020 | Support reparations.
8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19
9/2/2020 | Rally for fair appraisals.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Stop the use of ketamine in arrests.
Happy Monday!
We're kicking off the week with an urgent call-to-action. Today, Sydney from the Justice for Elijah McClain advocacy group shares more about the dangers of ketamine, and how we can make a difference TODAY by contacting local officials. I urge you to take part. You can read more about Elijah McClain in a previous newsletter.
Thank you all for your contributions. To support our work, you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Call or email to demand a temporary ban on the use of ketamine in Aurora, Colorado, is put in place until at least 30 days after Elijah McClain’s case is complete. A council meeting to discuss the ban will be held on September 14, 2020, at 7:30 p.m.
Sign and share the Justice for Elijah petition to hold the officers and paramedics accountable for his death.
If you have been injected with ketamine, or have used ketamine as an EMT or paramedic in partnership with law enforcement? Share your story in this survey.
GET EDUCATED
By Sydney Cobb (she/her)
Ketamine is commonly used as an anesthetic in hospitals and veterinary clinics. It is typically regarded as safe if the proper dosage is administered, but it can have severe and lethal side effects in certain situations. Ketamine blocks pain receptors in the brain, often leading to people either falling unconscious or entering a trancelike state (The Cut). Emergency medical workers often use ketamine in order to subdue suspects at the scene of an arrest if they appear to be “violently agitated” or uncooperative.
Paramedics and first responders often describe suspects as “violently agitated” in order to justify their unnecessary use of sedatives. Ketamine is meant to subdue someone who is actively resisting arrest, but paramedics and first responders have frequently misused it. There are many cases in which suspects have been rendered helpless, with their hands cuffed behind their backs, yet they are injected with ketamine for illegitimate reasons. In some cases, it is believed that police officers involve themselves in the decision of whether or not to administer ketamine at the scene of an arrest (The Denver Post).
For example, Joseph Baker, a former Minnesota paramedic, recently spoke out against the use of ketamine for law enforcement purposes. Baker filed a whistleblower lawsuit in which he claimed that police officers attempted to coerce him into administering ketamine during an arrest. In an interview, Baker stated that the man being arrested clearly had a mental health illness and was not resisting arrest enough to justify the use of a sedative. After refusing to comply with the officers’ wishes, Baker felt that he was practically being pushed out of his job. Throughout the lawsuit, Baker emphasized that the relationship between police officers and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers has allowed officers to feel comfortable using coercive tactics to encourage paramedics to administer ketamine (The Intercept).
Unfortunately, Elijah McClain’s entanglement with the Aurora Police Department is one of many arrests that ended in unwarranted sedation. Max Johnson, a diabetic Black man from Minneapolis, is yet another example of how the use of ketamine can have dangerous effects. On July 26, 2020, Johnson began having a seizure as a result of low blood sugar. Abby Wulfing, Johnson’s girlfriend, called 911 and informed the dispatcher that Johnson was seizing, prompting them to send Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers to evaluate the situation. Wulfing says that the EMS responders seemed to believe that Johnson’s seizures were caused by illegal drugs, even after she had explained the actual cause.
After continuously questioning Max’s sobriety, they began to physically restrain him and call the police for backup. After 7 minutes of pleading with the EMS workers to administer glucagon to combat Johnson’s low blood sugar, they finally obliged. Following the glucagon, the workers injected Johnson with 500 milligrams of ketamine. Wulfing stated that there was no need to inject Johnson with ketamine because he was already in a calm, post-seizure state once the EMS workers arrived. The dosage of ketamine put Johnson in a hospital intensive care unit on a ventilator for two days. Wulfing believes that the treatment Johnson received from the EMS workers was heavily influenced by the fact that he is a Black man (Star Tribune).
Both McClain and Johnson were unnecessarily injected with ketamine and endured severe health complications as a result. A sedative was not necessary in either case, considering that both men were following police orders and remaining calm in highly stressful situations. While McClain and Johnson’s cases are entirely separate, the parallels between the two are not anomalous; they indicate a larger issue with the unwarranted use of ketamine injections.
For decades, law enforcement has labeled people of color as ‘aggressive’ and ‘uncooperative’ in order to justify their unnecessary use of force. While ketamine is not a form of physical force, it can have similar or worse effects on one’s well-being. McClain and Johnson are only two examples of how police officers and paramedics unjustifiably use sedatives that ultimately lead to severe health complications.
It is imperative that we hold police departments and EMS workers accountable for misusing ketamine as a tool of brutality on ALL people, but specifically people of color. We cannot allow officers to further perpetuate the notion that Black people are disobliging and aggressive with law enforcement.
Key Takeaways
The symbiotic relationship between police officers and paramedics can lead to officers feeling comfortable with coercing paramedics into administering ketamine, therefore putting more people at risk of experiencing the harmful side effects of the sedative.
While the use of ketamine for law enforcement purposes is not limited to people of color, it is yet another way that police are wrongly labeling them as “aggressive” and “agitated.”
The use of ketamine is usually not necessary or justified.
RELATED ISSUES
9/3/2020 | Support mental health response services.
8/27/2020 | Help decriminalize drug possession.
8/26/2020 | Be an active bystander.
8/24/2020 | Demand justice for Jacob Blake.
8/12/2020 | Demand justice for Elijah McClain.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza