LSA’s DEI x Sustainability Summit highlights Intersectional Environmentalism through Art, Conversation, and Storytelling
The LSA DEI Office and LSA Sustainability hosted the DEI x Sustainability Summit: For People + Planet on October 16, which brought together participants from across the University to explore the intersections between diversity, equity, and inclusion and sustainability, guided by Leah Thomas' principles from The Intersectional Environmentalist.
LSA Dean Rosario Ceballo offered opening remarks and welcomed the keynote speaker and panelists for the morning session. Dean Ceballo noted that, “LSA is uniquely positioned to identify, illuminate, and lead on the overlapping grand challenges of this moment.”
Keynote speaker Shalanda Baker (Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action) shared her personal experiences working within the field of energy equity and what environmental justice communities need as we move towards a Just Transition. Vice Provost Baker recommended that researchers “reimagine and dissolve disciplinary boundaries” to facilitate generative and equitable solutions for frontline communities.
Following the keynote speech, four panelists - Samantha Adams (Doctoral Candidate in English and Women’s and Gender Studies), Dr. David Temin (Associate Professor of Political Science), Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron (Professor and Chair of Department of Afroamerican and African Studies), and Dr. Jessica Kenyatta Walker (Associate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and American Culture) - delivered powerful lighting talks on their research areas grounded in Black feminism, political ecology, and food sovereignty to further illuminate the principles of Intersectional Environmentalism. Samantha Baker described the environmental injustices of the Flint water crisis, and highlighted the work of young activist Mari Copeney (“Little Miss Flint”). Dr. David Temin spoke to the difference between environmentalism and environmental justice, highlighting the historical roots that continue to create violence. Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron talked about unpacking the privilege of access to the “outdoors” and the importance of marginalized voices in conversations about the environment. Dr. Jessica Walker highlighted the role of food apartheid in environmental violence and the importance of cultural narratives around food. The lightning talks were followed by a Q&A session with the panelists.
Following the morning session, participants were invited to drop-in workshops led by students on storytelling in sustainability, food access at the University of Michigan, environmental justice work in Detroit, and our relationship to land. These workshops were a blend of informational and reflective, giving participants opportunities to engage with each other and learn more about ongoing sustainability and environmental justice work on campus. A group of participants attended “Earth Song”, a Black Nature walk created by Dr. Benedicte Boisseron’s students enrolled her Black Ecologies course.
Attendees were also invited to participate in an art-build, answering the prompt: “How do we get there together?” Student Life Sustainability, U-M Urbanism Club, U-M Sustainable Food Program, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum created a “Creative Zone” of posters and workshops. Graphic recorder Yen Azzaro visually captured the highlights of the event.
The event was highlighted in both the Michigan Daily and the Record.
