Must-Read Environmental Books by Black Female Authors
Black Americans have discovered sustainable methods for survival, progress, and prosperity despite an unjust power structure. In honor of Black History Month, it’s important to recognize the voices of Black authors in the environmental space. For topics surrounding environmental justice and environmental racism, one should read books written by people of color and champion their work. Recognizing, amplifying, and centering the knowledge of Black activists is critical to the environmental industry. Sadly, so many solutions that people promote as “new” have been an integral part of life for black communities for generations.
Here are five books published by Black female authors on environmental racism, environmental education, poetry, and other environmental matters that I strongly believe are crucial to explore and read.
The Intersectional Environmentalist
By Leah Thomas
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas discusses how environmentalism and racism are deeply connected. This book supports the vital idea that we cannot preserve our planet and tackle environmental issues without elevating marginalized and silenced voices. This book is more than just a demand for action but is also a robust roadmap for creating change in response to the pressing issues that people and our planet confront.
Leah Thomas developed the phrase "Intersectional Environmentalism," emphasizing that the fight for our earth is inextricably linked to the fight for civil rights and equality.
Sustainable South Bronx: A Model for Environmental Justice
Majora Carter is the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx. She fights for economically sustainable initiatives driven by the community's needs: green roofs, greenways, clean technologies, and a green-collar job-training program and workforce. Sustainable South Bronx: A Model for Environmental Justice by Majora Carter is about Carter's efforts to combat environmental health risks and high unemployment in her community.
A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind
Author Harriet A. Washington fills her book A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind with intense research and beautiful writing.
In this book, Washington dispels the myth that intelligence is an inherited trait. Instead, she studied and shared how toxic metals, poor maternity care, poor nutrition, and other factors impact IQ to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected.
Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape
Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret Edith Savoy shares the historical intersection of race, culture, identity, and the American landscape.
A geologist, Lauret Edith Savoy shares her knowledge regarding the multifaceted nature of American identity with her extensive research into the land.
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry
Edited by Camille T. Dungy
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, edited by Camille T. Dungy, helps readers gain a broader understanding of nature poetry and African American poetics through Dungy's selection of 180 poems from 93 poets.
Some of Black Nature discusses heaviness and the unfading impact of slavery, while others are more light-hearted and humorous.
It's even more critical to read books written by Black authors in a world where the mainstream media has historically neglected Black storytellers. It's one thing to read books by Black writers, but what makes their voices more amplified is when they're shared.
We encourage you to read the work of Black environmentalists throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. It is through reading that we can develop empathy and gain a better understanding of the world around us.
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