I recently read a paper by Dorceta Taylor entitled "Race, Class, Gender and American Environmentalism" (the article can be found here) in which she traces the history of the American environmental movement and its interactions with various segments of society from the first half of the 19th Century until the present time. After reading this paper I was inspired to write a piece about what I perceive to be Taylor's central goal: to challenge the dominant explanation, or narrative, about what it means to be an environmentalist and what sorts of issues environmentalists should be concerned with. For although environmentalism is a very broad term, it is often used in a very narrow sense. Allow me to explain.
Taylor's piece amounts to approximately 45 pages of descriptive text, and presents a huge volume of information, yet it only barely skims the surface of each topic it covers. The primary reason for the summary nature of the piece is that it highlights a plethora of factors that mainstream accounts of the history of the environmental movement in the United States tend to ignore. These accounts focus on a few key figures and events (for example, the publication of "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson in 1962). They also gloss over the impact of contributing movements such as the Feminist Movement, The Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian movement, and a whole slew of others. Moreover, mainstream accounts focus on a distinctly white, middle-class and predominantly male vision of environmentalism. By rewriting this history, Taylor broadens our conception of the environmental movement and of environmentalism.
The dominant narrative of environmentalism, the one that most of you are probably familiar with, emphasizes the creation of National Parks and wildlife preserves, creation of urban parks and green spaces, efforts to reduce production of CO2, cleaning up of the oceans, and other globalized issues. What it excludes are the stories of individual people, who are closer to us than we perhaps expect, and who have experienced the dangers of environmental degradation first hand. These people are disproportionately poor and people of color. Throughout the history of the environmental movement, the concerns of these groups were considered secondary to the concerns of the dominant group of white, middle-class males. Thus, these groups were subjected to toxic dumping near their homes, eviction (to create the urban parks we love so much), hazardous working conditions (as other groups began to avoid occupations such as coal mining and manufacturing that were clearly damaging to both the environment and the workers), job loss (as factories were slowly subjected to environmental protection measures and began to close) and much more. What the dominant narrative ignores is that as the powerful members of society sought to avoid environmental problems and improve their own lot, these problems were then displaced onto other groups.
Furthermore, the dominant narrative advertises a certain brand of interaction with nature, a brand that just so happens to be available only to a select few. In this view, nature is a site for recreation, sensory pleasure and sometimes self-improvement. In other words, a place where one goes to hunt, to enjoy the scenery, or to escape into a simplicity that promotes contemplation. It is a vacation of sorts from the stress of everyday working life. This perspective neglects the experience of millions of migrant farm workers in the U.S. who depend on the literal and figurative fruits of the earth for a living. And it glosses over the fact that for many, going camping is not an option. It is not an option because it requires taking time off from work, spending money, driving to non-central locations, knowledge of the outdoors and other things that many of us take for granted. Spending time in the outdoors for the purposes listed above is a privilege.
As a white college student from a financially stable background I have to confront my own privilege when thinking about my role in the environmental movement. Coming from a politically liberal city and an environmentally conscious family, I have been exposed to many environmental issues in theory but not in practice. I have not had to deal with water contamination, air pollution or workplace safety concerns first hand. I have had the privilege of going hiking and backpacking and spending time in beautiful city parks. I think it is important to acknowledge the multidimensionality of the environmental movement and to realize that our own privileges may sometimes blind us to the concerns of others.
