Sunday and Monday June 19-20, 2022 we pause to remember and celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas to announce that all enslaved people were free. Juneteenth celebrates the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. It became a national holiday in 2021.
From Blessed Tomorrow: "In celebration of Juneteenth, let us learn about the intersections of racism, environment, and climate change. Did you know….
Black Americans are disproportionately impacted physically and emotionally from environmental problems.
Black people are more likely to live in communities with poor air quality and to have asthma than white people.
The water quality in black communities is more likely to be poor and slower to be corrected than in white communities.
Toxic sites are more likely to be in or near black communities.
Black Americans suffer more from the rising temperatures due to global warming than white Americans.
The mental and emotional impacts of the climate crisis are more greatly felt in black communities.
Jim Antal, author of Climate Church, Climate World says that "climate change intensifies every system of injustice, discrimination and disadvantage" and that "climate change represents the greatest moral crisis humanity has every faced - a moral emergency of unprecedented proportions." Others call it "environmental racism."
"The good news is that organizations like Blessed Tomorrow are raising awareness. Blessed Tomorrow is a coalition of diverse religious partners united as faithful stewards of God´s creation. They partner with denominations and other faith and climate organizations for just climate solutions."
In celebration of Juneteenth, they offer the below links to Let’s Talk Climate webcasts on the topic of Climate and Environmental Justice.
Let’s Talk Climate Episodes:
Why Faith and Climate
"People of faith share a calling to love and care for God’s creation, one another, and especially the most vulnerable. Today, the health and stability of creation is threatened by our changing climate. We see the negative impacts of climate change in the suffering of our neighbors and in damage to the natural world. Living our faith means leading on climate change as stewards of God’s creation. The leadership of faith communities adds distinct moral perspectives to the climate change movement and motivates millions of Americans to act out of love." ~ Blessed Tomorrow
Resources
Blessed Tomorrow offers downloadable Resources and Guides for: Communications and Engagement; Events and Webinars; Impact Reduction; Research and Polling; and Success Stories
Blog
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