» Environmental and Social Justice

The Role of Intersectionality in Environmentalism

Intersectionality is an analytical framework that highlights the interconnected nature of social categorizations including race, class, sexuality, and gender. The concept of intersectionality brings attention to how a person's various social and political identities are often combined to produce multiple variations of discrimination and privilege. Learn more about how intersectionality plays a role in fighting for both social and climate justice.

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We invite you to engage in the educational aspects of environmentalism and social justice. There are many different ways individuals within your community could be disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental racism. Use resources to learn about the history of the Environmental Justice movement and educate yourself on not only how the movement arose, but also how it continues to be practiced in your own community.

Here are a few sources to get you started on your journey to learning more about intersectional environmentalism and how it plays into social justice.

Leah Thomas, a Chapman Alum ('16), is an Environmental Science and Policy graduate who helped bring light to the role of intersectionality in multiple social justice movements including feminism, anti-racism, and environmentalism. As the founder of website and Instagram account "Intersectional Environmentalist", she advocates for the protection of both the people and the planet by identifying and highlighting voices of residents in marginalized communities and giving them a platform to tell their stories on sustainability and environmental inequity.

Find the Instagram page here and the website here.

Read some of Leah's insights into environmental activism from her most recent talk with Chapman students here.

» Environmental and Social Justice

The Role of Intersectionality in Environmentalism

Educational Resources

Intersectional Environmentalism