Many environmental organizations in the U.S. need to do a better job of addressing diversity issues. According to Robert Stanton’s 2002 report for the Natural Resources Council of America, people of color make up only 11% of the staff and 9% of the boards for Council organizations. These numbers, according to the 2000 Census , are much lower than the diversity of the civilian workforce (26%) and the country (29%).
These statistics are indicative of a severe problem among environmental organizations and institutions that goes much deeper than just numbers. People of color are often hired as support staff and put into positions not marked for leadership potential. Many feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in institutions because of the homogeneous culture both within and among organizations. Substantial gains on outreach to communities and groups of color, especially in the areas of cultural competency and true collaboration, have yet to be achieved. And most organizations still fall short in devoting adequate staff time, money, and resources to diversity issues.
This has been occurring even when a number of institutions, such as the Latino Issues Forum, University of Michigan, and Campaign for America’s Wilderness, have commissioned surveys, showing people of color strongly supporting environmental issues and initiatives, in some cases, at a higher level than the general public.
Diversity issues in the environmental field received national attention in 1990 when civil rights organizations wrote a letter to “the Big 10” environmental groups, challenging them on their ignorance of environmental issues afflicting communities of color and calling on them to hire more people of color on to their staffs and boards of directors.
The effectiveness of the response to the letter, both then and now, is at best debatable. Arguably, dialogue and interest in diversity issues have been more prevalent since the confrontation. However, the bottom line is that this increased awareness has not translated into substantial gains of furthering diversity .
Today, leaders within the movement often talk about the diversity crisis and refer to the fact that failure to address it will mean imminent failure for all of us. It is estimated that by 2050, people of color in the U.S. will constitute a majority of the population. As the country continues to diversify, the movement fails to do so at its own peril.
The good news is that it’s not too late to create a more inclusive environmental field. Engaging people of color in their environmental interests could provide organizations with more political and public support, more fundraising opportunities, expanded memberships, richer partnerships, and unique perspectives on organizational activities and strategies.
By creating an environmental field that is relevant to all Americans, environmental issues may rise to the forefront of the political landscape and become a higher priority in policy and funding decisions. The challenge will be developing strategies to include a group of people who have historically been ignored and excluded in the movement.
The new generation of emerging leaders, while continuing to struggle with diversity issues, has shown itself to be willing and ready to have the difficult discussions and begin the challenging process of breaking down the barriers that prevent a diverse workplace. Unfortunately, they too often meet resistance and apprehension from current leaders and find themselves often isolated in their struggles.
The younger generation of environmentalists is clearly the mantle holder as it will face the repercussions of not dealing (or the rewards of successfully dealing) with these issues today. This workshop is aimed at creating a forum for a select group of emerging leaders to dissect the issue and create a concrete action plan to bring back to institutions and the movement.
We are in a crucial yet opportunistic time in the history of the environmental movement. Discussions and awareness of diversity issues have been surfacing recently, and many in the baby boomer generation are expected to retire in the next ten years. The timing is ideal for the next generation to provide the leadership that is badly needed in moving diversity issues forward and creating a more inclusive and unified movement.