Race, Equity, and Education: Resources and Readings

"Community wellness is vital to help environmental educators. create inclusive environments that support nourishing partnerships and collaborations. More ideas in the "Toolkit for community Engagement by @TheNAAEE." Acorn Naturalists logo shown with a black and white acorn.

There is an abundance of resources available for exploring race and equity, with many resources geared specifically towards educators as well as people in research, interpretation, STEM, and more.

We’ve compiled a few resources here, with topics ranging from centering equity within an organization to addressing systemic racism at a personal and institutional level. There are many lists available, as well as interactive workshops and exercises, designed to bring individual reflection to the systemic issue of racism. In our homes, schools, communities, public parks, cities, local governments, and more, there are so many ways to reflect, explore, and take action.

Whether in the field, the lab, the museum, the home, or the classroom, there is a lot of important and ongoing work happening. This list is not comprehensive by any means, and please feel free to add resources you love in the comments section as well.

"Anti-blackness and settler colonialism in environmental education for young people are two ideologies that I am hoping to dismantle," expresses Fikile Nxumalo in an interview from 2020 about her book
“Anti-blackness and settler colonialism in environmental education for young people are two ideologies that I am hoping to dismantle,” expresses Fikile Nxumalo in an interview from 2020 about her book

Equity Resources and Environmental Education:

  1. Equity Resources from NAAEE – These resources are compiled by the North American Association of Environmental Education.
    1. J.E.D.I. Heart – “Transforming a Movement: How foundations can support effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) capacity-building efforts in environmental organizations.”
    2. Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources, there is an abundance of reflection, tools, and tangible learning here.
    3. There are also webinars, podcasts, books, and more, including articles like Read Up on the Links Between Racism and the Environment.
  2. Cultural relevancy training – There are many resources provided by Youth Outside, including case studies featuring organizations that started unpacking their hiring practices, inclusion efforts, and more.
    1. Deepening Commitments: Working Towards Equity and Inclusion When Connecting Youth to the Outdoors. This report is from 2016 and explores how cultural relevancy training is essential. The report mentions how the “central, underlying challenge as this work evolves and matures is to authentically incorporate social justice and inclusion (14).
    2. Upcoming events and virtual trainings offered, including “Equitable and Inclusive Hiring Practices
  3. The Limitations Of An Anti-Racist Reading List – This is a 14-minute clip featuring Lauren Michele Jackson and Linda Holmes. The perspective here expands the dialogue around race, to consider where the action towards equity begins, for white people, as well as where the reflection and action often stops. “I see lists that seem to be more focused than the sort of banner of ‘anti-racism,’” Jackson explains, and lists that may offer more specific ways to think or teach about race.

Race and the Environment: Additional Resources

  1. This post on Race and Environmental Justice by Community Nature Connection offers a plethora of resources, readings, and more, with shoutouts to influential movements like Intersectional Environmentalist, and more.
  2. What’s Next for BlackAFinSTEM? In June, after a highly successful Black Birders Week, this group of 30+ Black STEM educators and researchers took it upon themselves to create a platform to share their experiences. Corina Newsome, one of the organizers behind #BlackBirdersWeek, shares her thoughts about the impact and ongoing importance of representation and safety for Black people researching, hiking, and enjoying their time outside.
  3. This resource brings a selection of articles and education around environmental racism. On their website, they describe environmental racism as, “[…] intentional racial discrimination in infrastructural and environmental policy making.” We’ve created a resource that can equip individuals with information to better address these issues in their communities. You can explore the full resource, “Public Health Resources for Understanding Environmental Racism” for more.

Closing Thoughts

This is a very brief list, to generate thoughts and further action. There are so many leaders in this movement for social justice for Black people, as well as other historically marginalized communities. From workshops to conferences, to personal reflections, there are so many ways to stay engaged.

At Acorn Naturalists, we look forward to expanding this dialogue, and are invigorated by what an inclusive and anti-racist curriculum could look like–and there are many people leading that conversation. Please feel free to add resources to the comments section below. We would love to grow this list of ways to find empowerment and ways to stay engaged.