Environmental Justice: Let’s Talk About Race
Can I Live? screening
Join us for a screening of Can I Live? – a vital digital performance about the climate catastrophe conceived, written and performed by Fehinti Balogun, who shares his personal journey into the biggest challenge of our times.
Weaving his story with spoken word, rap, theatre, animation and the scientific facts, Fehinti charts a course through the fundamental issues underpinning the emergency, identifying the intimate relationship between the environmental crisis and the global struggle for social justice, and sharing how, as a young Black British man, he has found his place in the climate movement.
Following the screening will be two facilitated community discussion spaces, exploring what is meant by Climate Justice and how we can start to build more understanding and solidarity across environmental movements.
Community conversation 1 – for people of colour only
This discussion space will centre the experiences of people of colour – a ‘safer’ space to share personal experiences of navigating and engaging with environment/climate movements as racialised people.
Community conversation 2 – open to everyone
This discussion will focus on building understanding and solidarity across communities and movements for environmental justice.
More about Can I Live?
In the face of a sense of helplessness about the climate catastrophe, Can I Live? is an outstretched hand, inviting audiences to recognise they are not alone – and that through understanding the issues and connecting with the many powerful activists around the globe driving change, we can find a sense of hope for the future. More from Complicité here.
Environmental Justice at Manchester Museum
As part of our commitment to building understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world, the museum is developing a programme of work around Environmental Justice led by the Social Justice and Environmental Action managers.
‘Environmental Justice’ means that everyone – regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, economic status, or ability – has the right to the same environmental protections and benefits, as well as meaningful involvement in the policies and action that shape their communities. However this has rarely been a reality for many marginalised communities, who are also at the greatest risk of being impacted by the environmental emergency we’re facing. At the same time, these voices and lived experiences have often been underrepresented in and excluded from climate and environmental action groups/movements.
This series of work aims to increase awareness and understanding of environmental injustice and its root causes through events and collaborations that give space and priority to marginalised voices. Many of these events and opportunities will be open to all, whilst some will prioritise or only be available to people from marginalised communities to take part in. This is so they can engage with the topic in a ‘safer’ space where for example, racism or ableism present within wider movements that make them inaccessible is less likely to be present.
Further information on Environmental Justice
- Greenpeace : Environmentalism Crosses Everything
- Ella’s law: Clean Air For All
- Greenpeace: Racism Report Summary
- RACE report
Image credit: Filmed production, Complicité – Can I Live_ with Fehinti Balogun © Photo by David Hewitt. A Complicité production in association with the Barbican, London, supported by Doc Society and Oxford Playhouse. Supported by Arts Council England and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.