By Rashida Lovely, Member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Group; Equity Chair
In October 2025, the Sierra Club Northeastern Pennsylvania Group convened a community discussion entitled “Can We Really Talk?”. Led by Rashida Lovely, Equity Chair of the Chapter, the discussion brought together educators, advocates, and local government leaders such as Luzerne County Councilwoman and educator Brittney Stephenson, Luzerne County Councilwoman Dawn Simmons, youth activist and poet Rose Daniels and Hazelton City Council Candidate and Educator David Dominguez to examine how current federal education policies are impacting students of color and what those impacts mean for environmental access and justice.
The conversation focused on recent federal actions that threaten to withdraw funding from colleges and universities that support diversity-focused initiatives. These policies place institutions, particularly Minority-Serving Institutions, in a difficult position: comply with directives that restrict equity programs or risk losing essential federal support. Participants discussed how such policies disproportionately affect students of color and undermine efforts to create inclusive educational environments.
From the perspective of Sierra Club’s Equity Division, education and environmental access are deeply connected. Schools and universities often serve as key entry points for students to engage in environmental stewardship through sustainability programs, outdoor education, community gardens, and conservation projects. When students of color lose access to educational support systems, they also lose opportunities to participate in and benefit from green spaces.
Panelists highlighted how funding cuts translate into real, immediate barriers. Students impacted by these changes often lose stipends, housing, transportation, and access to campus-based organizations. Without these supports, participation in environmental activities such as river cleanups, neighborhood greening projects, or environmental research becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible.
The discussion also addressed the importance of safety and belonging in environmental spaces. Many students of color already experience green spaces as unwelcoming or unsafe due to historical exclusion, racial profiling, and unequal investment. When educational pathways into these spaces are disrupted, these barriers are reinforced rather than dismantled. Equity requires not only access, but intentional efforts to create safe and inclusive environments.
Intergenerational impact was a central theme of the event. College students often serve as visible role models for younger community members, demonstrating pathways into environmental leadership and civic engagement. When these students are pushed out or unsupported, younger generations lose important points of connection and inspiration, weakening long-term community engagement with environmental stewardship.
Participants emphasized that access to green spaces supports both environmental and community well-being. Green spaces contribute to physical health, mental wellness, and community resilience, especially in communities that have faced historic disinvestment. Policies that restrict access to education and environmental engagement ultimately limit these benefits for the very communities that need them most.
Despite the challenges discussed, the event underscored the power of community-based solutions. Strengthening partnerships between educational institutions, community organizations, and environmental groups was identified as a key strategy for sustaining access to green spaces and environmental education. The Sierra Club’s ongoing equity work was highlighted as a critical platform for building these connections.
“Can We Really Talk?” concluded with a call to continued dialogue and action. The Sierra Club Northeast Pennsylvania Group reaffirmed its commitment to centering equity in environmental advocacy and ensuring that students of color are not excluded from the spaces, opportunities, and leadership roles that shape our environmental future. Environmental justice, the discussion made clear, depends on educational equity and both require sustained community engagement.
You can watch the video of the Can We Really Talk discussion here.
This blog was included as part of the February 2026 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!