Celebrating Black History
Celebrating Black History
While February serves as a symbolic month of reflection and acknowledgement of the impacts, contributions and successes of Black Americans in all spaces—both visible and unknown—uplifting this work doesn’t end when March begins. We will continue to bring to the forefront the impact and profiles of Black environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts, and environmental justice organizers throughout the year, as the Sierra Club is committed to celebrating both Black history and Black futures as we rededicate ourselves to uprooting environmental racism, achieving collective liberation, and working to build a democracy where every person, voice and vote counts.
Top photo of the Democracy Awakening Protest in Washington D.C. April 18, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Frances Denny for The Luupe, theluupe.com
Black Environmental Changemakers
Learn more about the impacts of Black environmentalists and activists in the outdoors, halls of power, and beyond.
Read MoreBetty Reid Soskin, America's oldest park ranger, at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. | Photo by Edward Caldwell
Betty Reid Soskin is Richmond's "Resident Rosie"
Longest-serving park ranger shares legacy of our country’s painful history with visitors.
Read the ArticlePhoto by iStock.com/TracieMichelle
From Redlining to Restorative Justice
When we talk about clean energy and affordable housing in America, what often gets left out of the conversation are the ways in which energy insecurity and racist housing practices intersect.
Read MoreBucknell University botany researcher Tanisha Williams, organizer of Black Botanists week, poses with a tulip poplar. | Photo courtesy of Tanisha Williams
Inside 2020’s Black Solidarity Hashtag Movement
How scientists and adventurers united online in the name of equity.
Read the ArticlePodcast: The Overstory
On this episode of The Overstory, we explore the connections between systemic racism and environmental destruction. Hop Hopkins, director of the Sierra Club's strategic partnerships, discusses how the ideology of white supremacy fuels environmental degradation and social injustice. Corina Newswome talks about how she launched the online happening #BlackBirdersWeek.
Photos by James Edward Mills | IAT thru-hiker Emily Ford with IAT section hiker (and aspirational thru-hiker) Xiping Wang.
On the Trail of Hiker Emily Ford
She’ll be the first Black woman to thru-hike the Ice Age Trail in winter.
Read MorePodcast: The Overstory
On Episode 9 of The Overstory we go birding with Jason Ward, an impassioned birder in Atlanta, Georgia whose enthusiasm and social media savvy is helping to attract younger and more ethnically diverse groups of people into the world of bird-watching. We also hear from climate activist Patrick Houston about his tips for social change, and talk with Haviland Whiting, the youth poet laureate of Nashville.
Listen