CROWNING WOMEN: HONORING WOMEN IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT
The Occasion
For generations, women of color have led and fought for the struggle of social, economic and environmental justice. They have struggled, sometimes in the forefront but more often in the shadowed spaces of men within social movements. In many cases men take public roles on the national and international levels; however, women provide the base, local leadership and behind-the-scenes activism upon which social movements are built. The environmental justice movement is no different. Untold numbers of Native American, African American, Latina American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native Alaskan and Hawaiian women have dedicated their lives to fighting environmental threats to their families, homes, communities and workplaces.
Until now, women of color have failed to receive great acclaim and formal recognition for their contributions to the environmental justice movement. They are our unsung heroines and trailblazers who may not have formal titles or formally recognized leadership but have courageous and pioneering testimonies of fighting on different environmental justice fronts.
The Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit is the opportune occasion to host an Awards Dinner Honoring Women of Color in the Environmental Justice Movement. Hopefully, this awards dinner will inspire a new generation of men, women and youth to continue in the struggle!
CROWNING WOMEN OF COLOR: THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE 2002 EJ SUMMIT