Engaging with Resilience in Education Institutions: Indigenous Environmental Justice Project

Throughout my time at University, I had the opportunity to discuss various examples of environmental injustice and analyzed how environmental impacts have come to affect communities of colour and low economic status the most in my classes. Now that I have graduated, there are a lot of questions as to where we go from here, or what we do with this knowledge. It is not enough to simply look at these examples and understand the impact, it must go further. I want to take this as an opportunity to look at one of the ways a university can engage with these issues beyond the point of just discussing them. The Indigenous Environmental Justice Project (IEJ) is a funded initiative based out of York University aimed at offering support for communities battling environmental injustice and provide both an education and a platform for these issues (“Indigenous Environmental Justice Project Offers Unparalleled Resource”). This organization is the perfect example of how universities can engage with resilience against injustice and stand in solidarity with those who are being discriminated against.

As explained by Andil Gosine and Cheryl Teelucksingh in Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada “at Canadian universities, only a few environmental studies programs offer courses on environmental justice and racism, and the area is generally regarded as a marginal field” (Gosine and Teelucksingh 34). Gosine and Teelucksingh go further to explain that there continues to be skepticism among academics about the validity of looking at racism in relation to the environment (Gosine and Teelucksingh 34). While having a discussion about environmental impact without discussing racism seems completely inconceivable, education systems are the perfect place to explore those doubts and do further investigation into these ideas, not simply leave them out of the conversation. In Canada, we deal with the rhetoric of multiculturalism as a way to smooth the path between racialized people and paint Canada as a ‘cultural mosaic’ (Gosine and Teelucksingh 46). In practice, multiculturalism acts as a doorstop for any conversation about existing racism as it fails to acknowledge or undo any forms of ongoing injustice. Education institutions are a space where these conversations should be occurring, but in the case of environmental injustice, they are falling much too short.

Prior to looking at examples of the work done by the IEJ, I would like to further outline their organization and goals. In their website, they explain that the field of environmental studies has not provided substantive research on Indigenous environmental justice in Canada (York U). The website explains that their goal is to provide resources for teachers and schools to educate their students, while also creating opportunities for inclusive and providing support to move towards greater justice (“Indigenous Environmental Justice Project Offers Unparalleled Resource”).

One of the ways they engage with these goals is through their many fundraising and awareness events. In an event held in March of this year, a panel on the connections between environmentalism and social justice, Associate Professor Dayna Scott and Deborah McGregor discussed the intersection between sex, gender and environmental justice in indigenous communities (“Environmental Justice: A Panel on the Connections Between Environmentalism & Social Justice”). The panel explored different issues faced by the indigenous community and advocated for the focus on solutions (“Environmental Justice: A Panel on the Connections Between Environmentalism & Social Justice”). IEJ’s role in environmental justice is a very important one because they not only put forth platforms for discussion and exploration into these issues, but they emphasize the importance of coming up with clear and concrete solutions. In a video shared by the IEJ Project on YouTube titled “Why Indigenous Environmental Justice Matters” Professor Deborah McGregor explains “I find the field itself again is really important, it’s really good as assessing and diagnosing what injustices are in relation to indigenous peoples… but not so good at the solutions” (The IEJ Project, 1:35). Canadian universities can be an important place for discussions about environmental justice, especially surrounding the indigenous community, but without discussions and direct action of solutions, what effect can they have?

In general, education institutions can be a very excellent platform for uncovering these issues, but time and time again they go undiscussed. The Indigenous Environmental Justice Project highlights a very important way schools can work with the indigenous communities and reconciliation. The only way to see true justice for racially marginalized communities is through solidarity, through advocation, conversation and concrete solutions. To leave these issues to be advocated only by the communities they affect is to do a major disservice to that community, an indigenous’ rights issue is a human rights issue. As an ally, it is our responsibility to bring these conversations to the forefront of education.

Bibliography

The IEJ Project. “Why Indigenous Environmental Justice Matters” YouTube, commentary by Deborah McGregor, Stanley Peltier and Marjorie Beaucage, 29 November 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY03C0ST23o

“Environmental Justice: A Panel on the Connections Between Environmentalism & Social Justice” Indigenous Environmental Justice Project, York University, 12 April 2019 https://iejproject.info.yorku.ca/2019/04/environmental-justice-a-panel-on-the-connections-between-environmentalism-social-justice/

“Indigenous Environmental Justice Project Offers Unparalleled Resource.” YFile, 11 Jan. 2018, https://yfile.news.yorku.ca/2018/01/11/indigenous-environmental-justice-project-offers-unparalleled-resource/.

Gosine, Andil and Cheryl Teelucksingh. “Naming/Framing Environmental Justice in Canada” Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada, Emond Montgomery Publications Limited, Toronto, 2008.