Centering Social Justice in the Climate Conversation: A Panel

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Environmental Justice

Date:

Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Location:

Appleton Public Library, 225 North Oneida Street, Appleton

A recent article in The Guardian explained the following: “The climate crisis is a driver of injustice, widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Communities of color number among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because they live in areas at higher risk of wildfires and flooding – often without basic economic protections like insurance.”

At the global scale, we know climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, but how is this playing out here in the Fox Cities? In this panel you’ll hear from a set of diverse voices from local organizations as they discuss the following question: “From your perspective, what are the social justice issues and concerns related to climate change?” This event also offers the opportunity to learn about the unique approaches of local organizations that are working to address climate change. If you’re trying to find the right place to plug in, this is a great place to begin!

Panelists:

Lilyann Ogden:
“I’m a junior at Appleton west and renaissance school for the arts. I am one of the captains for the girls fall swim team 2020. I want to be able to make a difference in this world and I feel a little helpless when it comes to climate change. I’ve been wanting to for the longest time to talk to the head of Appleton area school district to see if we could go more ecofriendly and hopefully have a lesser impact on the way we contribute to climate change. I’ve been working on trying to figure out how we can make this change and how we can do it financially because I know that will be the real struggle.”
Guy Reiter + Menominee youth:
Guy Reiter, whose Menominee name is Anahkwet, is executive director of Menikanaehkem, a grassroots organization based on the Menominee Reservation, working to revitalize communities. “We are a group made up of people who are all working toward the same goal, Community Wellness! Our love for our relatives is what drives our work and passion for the things that we do.” Guy also writes: “We need to start to rebuild our relationship with our mother earth again. Let’s stand together and speak up for the voices who cannot speak for themselves, like the plants, animals, birds and insects. Let’s remember that we are a part of this land and not separate from it.
“Let’s join our collective voices together and tell our leaders that we are no longer going to stay silent while our precious mother earth gets abused. Let’s tell them that we are going to reclaim our humanity and once again establish our connection with creation.”
Polly Dalton:
Polly has worked to organize sustainable agriculture from her time at Lawrence University, through organizing and building a community supported agriculture farm and outreach program at Riverview Gardens, starting Field Notes Farm near Custer in 2014. She is a former Alderperson in Appleton and currently serves on the Stevens Point City Council. She writes: “My days are filled farming vegetables in Custer with our farm, Rising Sand Organics, and pressing hard cider and managing our business, Upstream Cider, located in Stevens Point.” She also manages the CSA program for Rising Sands and works as a substitute teacher in Stevens Point.