CENTER FOR DIVERSITY & THE ENVIRONMENT
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Mission Statement
We harness the power of racial & ethnic diversity to transform the U.S. environmental movement by developing leaders, catalyzing change within institutions, and building alliances.
About This Cause
The environmental movement must evolve as a field to better care for planet, people, and all beings. It will require a system-wide cultural shift in how we approach environmental and climate work, our relationships with each other, and our place within the natural world. The climate crisis is perhaps the greatest environmental justice issue facing us right now. Frontline communities that are most impacted by climate change need support in building power to achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels and extractive economies. CDE offers transformational leadership opportunities to individuals who wish to become effective change agents and innovators in the movement for climate justice. Ultimately, the success of this movement depends on our ability to work together across difference and build relationships of reciprocity among our communities. We support coalition building, network coordination, and community engagement to bridge the historical divide between the highly funded, white dominant environmental movement and Indigenous, Black, and People of Color (IBPOC) who have been excluded from decision-making tables, and whose cultural values have been silenced in mainstream dialogues on environment and climate. CDE’s goals over the next 2-3 years are: 1) Grow a diverse network of community of leaders who have the knowledge, support, and agency to bring about a more equitable, inclusive, & just climate movement. 2) Build the power of Indigenous, Black, and People of Color to address and heal from racialized trauma so that they may remain engaged and effective in the climate justice movement. 3) Support leaders & organizations to go deeper into their culture change processes focusing on racial equity, diversity, inclusion, healing justice, and liberation. We work toward collective liberation for people, the land, and all living beings. Collective liberation is the realization that we are interconnected, and within systems of oppression, everyone and everything suffers. As an Indigenous, Black and People of Color founded and led organization, we focus on racial and Indigenous equity and justice work is a starting point for collective liberation. We believe that a multifaceted approach is necessary to make deep and lasting change in the environmental movement. Our programs work on three levels simultaneously: Individual: Our transformational leadership opportunities support individuals who wish to become effective change agents in their communities. We bring an emphasis on interpersonal dynamics to this work. Organizational: We support organizations along the change continuum, from establishing a solid foundation to build upon to ongoing navigation of this nuanced work. Organizational change as integral to changing systems. Movement-wide: Our success as a movement depends on our ability to work together across difference, to build relationships, and to engage with our communities. We take an active role in building community to support this work. We work from the inside out, engaging people’s minds, hearts, and hands. Our minds bring us to new awareness and analysis; our hearts drive our motivation to engage in this work; and our hands lead us to action. We explore the ideas of reciprocity and an abundance mindset—Indigenous ways of being that stand in stark contrast to the extractive, transactional systems that currently dominate our lives and harm the planet. We enter each learning and community space with open minds and open hearts, and we ask those with whom we work to do the same. We lead with compassion, meeting each person where they are in the learning process without judgment or shaming. We call this radical love.