Feminist Founders: Intersectional Environmentalist
Intersectional Environmentalist is a feminist founded community that centers intersectionality as a lens for approaching climate action.
Meet the founder Leah Thomas, and co-founders Diandra Marizet and Sabs Katz.
“The future of environmentalism is intersectional and inclusive, It takes all of us to save the planet.”
Q: What sparked your interest to start your Intersectional Environmentalist?
Leah: In 2014 when I was majoring in environmental studies at Chapman University, I identified strongly with intersectional feminism + intersectional theory, created by Kimberlé Crenshaw, and began seeing how it could apply to environmentalism.
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there was so much silence in the environmental community around what was going on. So I defined intersectional environmentalism, created a pledge and it went viral on Instagram. A few weeks later, Sabs, Diandra, Phil and I hopped on a call to see how to take this momentum and turn it into something meaningful - that’s how we were founded.
Image by Ye Rin Mok
Q: How do you use the power of your platform to empower your community?
Leah: We try to stay solutions oriented as much as possible. While it’s important to discuss injustices, we hope to equip + empower our community with calls to action so they can practice intersectional environmentalism outside of the confines of the internet.
Image by Sabs Katz
Q: What advice would you give an individual looking to make impact in the larger system?
Diandra: When it comes to dismantling systems of oppression, learning along the way is the only option! We can’t wait to be all-knowing before stepping up to create change. Start with where your passions + talents align! I never thought being particularly excel savvy would help me build a 300k+ community of advocates, but here I am.🤎
Image by Cameron Williams
Q: How do you continue to get inspired or come up with new ideas?
Sabs: A lot of the subjects we speak on are ones that we have all thought about but rarely get discussed in environmental spaces. For example: the lack of plus size options in sustainable fashion, how food apartheid targets communities of color, or the importance of finding rest within your activism. We love having nuanced breakdowns and encouraging conversations on these topics that are often excluded from the mainstream environmental movement.
Q: Tell us about your summit 'The Future Is'
Sabs: Historically, conversations around environmentalism have focused heavily on conservation while dismissing the Black, Indigenous and communities of color facing environmental injustices. Since IE began, our community has requested more opportunities to grow their understanding of climate justice + intersectional environmentalism. Through this summit, we hope to provide a safe space for learning and show that an inclusive, systemic approach to environmentalism is possible.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
Diandra: Feminism means dismantling toxic masculinity and the patriarchal thinking that aims to perpetuate harmful social norms + systems that are deeply connected to the environment. It means acknowledging that both harm + healing for women + femmes is deeply connected to the harm + healing of our planet.
BE PART OF THE FUTURE
Join The Earth Month Virtual Summit by Intersectional Environmentalist
Follow @IntersectionalEnvironmentalist
Image c/o BackBeatCo
