Issues of Race, Justice and the Environment Tackled in Symposium
BRUNSWICK, Maine - Social justice, racial equality and environmental protection are perennial political issues, but proponents and activists in each of these areas have not always worked together, and some have seen these issues as mutually exclusive. A symposium at Bowdoin College February 22-23 will draw attention to questions concerning the relationships among race, justice and the environment and seek common ground for those working to create policy and awareness concerning racial equality, social justice and environmental protection.
* Whose concern is the environment? Some claim it is a special interest of upper middle-class whites and does not concern people of color.
* Are social justice and concern for the environment at cross-purposes, as some claim? Is it fair to say that those seeking environmental protection and restoration tend to ignore the plight of the poor and the need for jobs, while those with social justice uppermost in their minds are insensitive to the environment?
* Is the environment basically a rural concern? Some say that urban populations aren't "close to nature" and have little reason to think environmentally.
* How should the views of Native Americans, concerning the relationship between humans and nature, influence modern, industrial society.
* Can, or should, health issues and environmental degradation be treated as separate problems?
* Must developing nations inevitably follow the path of the already developed in mistreatment of the environment?
These questions and many more will be discussed in lectures, films, and panel discussions Feb. 22-23 at Bowdoin College.
Any member of the media interested in attending the conference, interviewing one of the participants, or receiving a summary packet following the conference should contact Allyson Algeo at [email protected] or (207) 725-3253.A schedule and list of participating scholars follows.
Bowdoin CollegeSymposium on Race, Justice, and the EnvironmentFebruary 22-23, 2002
Friday, February 22, 2002
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Barry DanaChief of the Penobscot Nation"The Penobscot Indian Nation and Its Responsibilities to the Environment"
Introduction by DeWitt JohnThomas F. Shannon Director of Environmental Studies and Senior Lecturer in Government and Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College
7 p.m. Films with breakout discussions to followSaturday, February 23, 200212:00 noon
Keynote Address"The Other Side of the Myths: the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya"
Wangari MaathaiScholar and activist, founder of Greenbelt Movement in KenyaCo-chair, Jubilee 2000 Afrika Campaign
1:15-3:15 p.m. Race, Justice, and the Environment: Cultural Dimensions(brief presentations by each panelist, followed by discussion)
PanelistsGilberto Reyes, Jr.Instructor in History, South Texas Community College"Profit and the Browning of the Lower Rio Grande Valley"
George Khaldun Chief Operating Officer, Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families"Community Development, Race and the Environment"
Annette DulaScholar/consultant, Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care"Environmental Racism: A Contributor to the Poor Health of People of Color"
Vera Karam de ChueiriProfessor of Constitutional Law and Theory of Law,Federal University of Parana, Brazil"De-Constructing the Law on the Environment: Justice in the Context of the Brazilian Constitution"
4:00-5:45 p.m. Race, Justice, and the Environment: Political Dimensions
Moderator Betty Trout-KellyAssistant to the President for Multicultural Programs and Affirmative Action Officer, Bowdoin College
PanelistsTony AffigneAssociate Professor of Political Science, Providence CollegeCo-founder, Interracial Caucus, American Political Science Association"Racial regimes and ecological power in the Americas"
Wangari MaathaiDorothy McCluskey Fellow in Conservation, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Edwardo Lao RhodesProfessor of Public and Environmental Affairs School of Public and Environmental AffairsIndiana University"The Challenge of Measuring Environmental Justice"
Rebecca SockbesonDirector, Multicultural Student Affairs, University of Southern Maine"The Impact of Environmental Racism on Indigenous Peoples"
Lance L.P. GuoAssistant Professor of Government and Asian Studies, Bowdoin College"Join the Race: Where to Place the Environment and Social Justice in the Power Game of Late Development"
Media Contact: Allyson Algeo (207) 725-3253
Conference Participants
Barry DanaMr. Dana is Chief of the Penobscot Nation. He grew up on Indian Island on the Penobscot River in Maine. From his family and elders, he learned traditional lifeways such as basket making, dancing and drumming, herbal medicine, and plant identification. In 1983, Mr. Dana graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a bachelor's degree in education and an associate's degree in forest management.
Wangari Maathai Ms. Maathai is the Dorothy McCluskey Visiting Fellow in Conservation at Yale University and founder and coordinator of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, a broad popular movement seeking political reform, resource protection, and sustainable livelihoods.She is internationally recognized for her work on human rights and environmental issues.
Gilberto ReyesMr. Reyes is an instructor in history at South Texas Community College. He has served as chair of the history department and has been involved with curriculum and labor issues at the college. He studies and speaks on Latino issues, and he has worked as a journalist.
George KhaldunMr. Khaldun is chief operating officer for the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families, a social service agency with a staff of 300 and a $12 million budget. The Rheedlen Center was the first non-profit in New York City dedicated to the problem of truancy among the young. For the past 30 years Rheedlen's staff has worked to better the lives of poor children.
Annette DulaMs. Dula is a scholar/consultant for Tuskegee University and works with the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care. She served on Hillary Rodham Clinton's Health Care Task Force. She has published numerous articles dealing with minority issues in healthcare and is co-author of It Just Ain't Fair! The Ethics of Healthcare for African Americans.
Vera Karam de ChueiriMs. de Chueiri is professor of constitutional law and legal theory at the Federal University of Parana, Brazil. She is a member of the Green Party of Brazil.
Tony Affigne Mr. Affigne is an associate professor of political science at Providence College. He has spoken and published articles on issues of race and politics and is co-founder of the Interracial Caucus of the American Political Science Association. He co-authored Race and Politics in the Americas: The Rise and Fall of the American Racial Empire, due out next year. He is active in Green Party Politics.
Lance L.P. GuoMr. Guo is an assistant professor of government and Asian studies at Bowdoin College. Before joining Bowdoin he served as a research fellow at the East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore and at the Asian Research Center under the Australian Research Council in Perth, Western Australia. He is the author of "Market Communism: The Institutional Foundation of China's Post-Mao Hyper-Growth."
Edwardo Rhodes Mr. Rhodes is a professor of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He has also served as associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the university. His recent research involves environmental justice or equity as it applies to the economic and social impacts of environmental activities. He also studies natural resource policy implementation and the efficiency and organization of public institutions, including universities.
Rebecca SockbesonMs. Sockbeson is director of multicultural student affairs for the University of Southern Maine. She works on issues of diversity and tolerance at the university and administers the North American Indian Tuition Waver and Scholarship Program.
Matthew KlingleMr. Klingle is an assistant professor of history and environmental studies at Bowdoin College. He specializes in environmental history, in particular the history of the North American West. He is especially interested in the ways in which people interact with the environment and how the environment helps shape human history
John C. RensenbrinkMr. Rensenbrink is a professor emeritus of government at Bowdoin College.He is Secretary of the Warsaw-based International Society for Universal Dialogue; Co-founder of the United States Green Party and the Maine Green Independent Party; and is author of books on the Solidarity movement in Poland and the Green movement in the United States.
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