While mainstream thinking doesn't always connect racism and the climate crisis, we know through systems analysis, research, and hands-on experience that these two issues are deeply connected.

Because, while many tie the "beginning" of the climate crisis to the industrial revolution, it can actually be traced back even further to the beginnings of colonization, as shared by AVF council member Sara Jolena Wolcott of Sequoia Samanvaya.

This pattern of disconnection expanded through slavery and it was also through colonization that indigenous knowledge and stewardship of the earth were discouraged or completely erased from cultures.

Today, it's communities of color and disadvantaged groups that are the most vulnerable to the negative effects of the climate crisis.

If you would like to learn more about the connection between racial injustice and the climate crisis and how you can help create new systems to cultivate healing for people and planet, we highly recommend listening to this interview with Sara Jolena Wolcott.