1. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  2. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  3. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  4. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  5. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  6. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  7. RACISM IN THE WATER
  8. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  9. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  10. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  11. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  12. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  13. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  14. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  15. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  16. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  17. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  18. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  19. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  20. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  21. Ian Harris
  22. Melissa Ostroff
  23. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  24. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  25. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  26. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  27. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  28. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  29. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  30. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  31. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  32. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  33. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  34. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  35. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  36. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  37. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  38. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  39. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  40. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  41. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  42. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  43. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  44. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  45. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  46. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  47. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  48. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  49. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  50. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  51. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  52. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  53. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  54. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  55. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  56. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  57. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  58. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  59. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  60. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  61. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  62. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  63. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  64. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  65. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  66. THE NATURE GAP
  67. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  68. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  69. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  70. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  71. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  72. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  73. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  74. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  75. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  76. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  77. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  78. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  79. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  80. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  81. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  82. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  83. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  84. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  85. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  86. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  87. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  88. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  89. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  90. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  91. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  92. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  93. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  94. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  95. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  96. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  97. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  98. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  99. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  100. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  101. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  102. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  103. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  104. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  105. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  106. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  107. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  108. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  109. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  110. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  111. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  112. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  113. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  114. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  115. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  116. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  117. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  118. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  119. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  120. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  121. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  122. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  123. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  124. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  125. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  126. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  127. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  128. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  129. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  130. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  131. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  132. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  133. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  134. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  135. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  136. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  137. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  138. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  139. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  140. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  141. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  142. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  143. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  144. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  145. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  146. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  147. Are You Going to Drink That?
  148. The Origins of ecoWURD
  149. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  150. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  151. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  152. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
  1. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  2. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  3. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  4. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  5. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  6. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  7. RACISM IN THE WATER
  8. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  9. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  10. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  11. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  12. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  13. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  14. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  15. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  16. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  17. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  18. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  19. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  20. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  21. Ian Harris
  22. Melissa Ostroff
  23. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  24. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  25. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  26. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  27. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  28. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  29. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  30. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  31. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  32. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  33. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  34. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  35. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  36. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  37. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  38. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  39. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  40. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  41. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  42. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  43. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  44. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  45. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  46. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  47. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  48. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  49. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  50. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  51. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  52. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  53. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  54. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  55. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  56. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  57. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  58. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  59. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  60. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  61. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  62. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  63. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  64. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  65. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  66. THE NATURE GAP
  67. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  68. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  69. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  70. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  71. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  72. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  73. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  74. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  75. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  76. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  77. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  78. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  79. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  80. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  81. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  82. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  83. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  84. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  85. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  86. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  87. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  88. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  89. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  90. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  91. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  92. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  93. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  94. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  95. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  96. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  97. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  98. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  99. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  100. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  101. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  102. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  103. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  104. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  105. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  106. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  107. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  108. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  109. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  110. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  111. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  112. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  113. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  114. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  115. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  116. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  117. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  118. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  119. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  120. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  121. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  122. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  123. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  124. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  125. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  126. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  127. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  128. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  129. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  130. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  131. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  132. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  133. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  134. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  135. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  136. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  137. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  138. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  139. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  140. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  141. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  142. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  143. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  144. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  145. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  146. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  147. Are You Going to Drink That?
  148. The Origins of ecoWURD
  149. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  150. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  151. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  152. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess

by Charles Ellison, Managing Editor at ecoWURD

 

Don’t look now, but yes, they did: the term that we always knew as “NIMBY” has suddenly become the new n-word.

 

We can’t point to the exact moment it happened. But after several decades of “NIMBY” – which stands for “Not In My Back Yard” – serving as the animated way to characterize growling white residents who make it clear they don’t want Black or other non-white people moving into their neighborhoods, it is now being associated with Black people exhausted from the onslaught of gentrification. The entire conversation over who’s not welcome in whose space has been flipped, and diabolically so, on the backs of Black people.

 

And the public discourse, egged on by many in the media, is buying it.

 

As eagerly gentrifying White residents in cities like Philadelphia hungrily search for cheaper space – since housing prices are getting too expensive for even them to afford – many have resorted to aligning themselves with movements fashionably called “urbanism.” They’ve dressed themselves in progressivism…yet many are really pushing dark real estate development schemes. Urbanism has become gentrification by another name. Instead of being obvious about the fact that White middle-to-affluent class residents are snapping up and renovating cheaper properties in predominantly Black neighborhoods, mostly Millennial-age “urbanists” need to look the part of well-meaning white progressives who mean no harm.

 

Skeptical Black residents caught on. Many longtime Black communities, scarred from astronomically unaffordable housing prices and being forced out of neighborhoods against their choice, caught on to the game. Gentrification trends still continue, along with the increasing displacement and dislocation of Black residents from their spaces. Rents and housing prices are more and more out of reach in every major city. Incoming white neighbors with friendly faces are still bringing in economic hardship headaches. The situation has become unsustainable for many Black residents who are now automatically pushing back against zoning proposals designed to create new building projects or plans to transform their neighborhoods into idyllic “middle-income” palaces. Demands are rising and Black community activists are becoming much more vocal and uncompromising: If there is development in their neighborhoods, there can be no more displacement and harm visited on the communities that live there. Either you come up with a plan to protect Black residents or you don’t build. That conversation, naturally, is shaping this year’s mayoral race in Philadelphia.

 

The resistance has caught white urbanists off-guard – many of them working quietly in tandem with profit-motivated commercial and residential real estate developers who don’t care how out-of-reach rents or housing prices are. In the pushback, gentrifying white urbanists are now calling those resisting Black community activists “NIMBYs.”

 

It’s wild and it’s offensive. It is also snake-oil racism. We’re catching it as one of the more devious forms of racialized messaging in recent years, similar to “reverse racism” accusations that effectively destroyed public support for affirmative action policies designed as racial redress for Black people. NIMBY is now what urbanists are calling Black people who fight gentrification: The same Black people who are the original and permanent targets of the actual “Not In My Back Yard” strategy which was always designed to remove Black people from the spaces where white people live. Now, the term is being used to describe Black people as – wait for it – unreasonable and racist against white people for not wanting them to force themselves at will into Black spaces. The argument is deliberately dismissive of the centuries of systemic racism, redlining, segregation and whole-space displacement that has been an ongoing perpetuation of economic violence against Black people in the United States for a long time.

 

Not at any time, ever, have Black community activists battling gentrification said they wanted to or been able to deny White residents housing. Black residents never told white residents “we don’t want you to have housing” or “we don’t want you in our neighborhoods.” Black residents opposing gentrification simply want decent, safe and quality places to live in that they could afford and that weren’t designed for them to move out. But in making those simple demands for equity and residential justice, they are now being slandered as just another “n-word” that’s getting in the way of progress…or what’s really colonization by another name.

 

We’ll continue to talk about this issue and others in ongoing coverage here at ecoWURD.

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