Commitment to Justice
The environmental movement in the United States has been dominated by white superiority, resulting in a white washed movement with little diversity and gaps in solutions. This has certainly been the case for watershed restoration.
The environmental movement in the United States has been dominated by white superiority, resulting in a white washed movement with little diversity and gaps in solutions. This has certainly been the case for watershed restoration. Plaster Creek has been neglected and abused since colonization, specifically through logging, agriculture, mining, industry, and urban development. The result is a landscape in which low-income communities that live downstream receive the brunt of pollution and flooding. Everyone who dwells within the watershed contributes to the condition of the creek, but historically not everyone has been included in planning for solutions that address the problems. For the creek and its surrounding communities to fully flourish, all voices must be heard and amplified to develop creative and equitable solutions.
Commitment to justice
Plaster Creek Stewards is committed to working for communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice and environmental racism. We know that those who live downstream are the experts in their own neighborhoods and communities. We recognize that this watershed cannot heal without the healing of human relationships, past and present. Plaster Creek Stewards seeks to learn alongside our fellow watershed residents as we together develop the knowledge and skills needed to restore health and beauty to our shared watershed.
Land acknowledgement
The Plaster Creek Watershed is the ancestral land of the Hopewell people and more recently the land of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations. This land was stolen through coerced and broken treaties. The healing of our watershed and the relationships within it can only come through personal and institutional acknowledgement of this history and intentional work for reparation and reconciliation.
Additional resources
Advocacy groups
NAACP - Environmental & Climate Justice
Indigenous Environmental Network
Intersectional Environmentalist
Reports and continuing education
350.org - The Environmental Justice Movement is Rooted in Black History
2.0 Report: Beyond Diversity: A Roadmap to Building an Inclusive Organization