Outside "Reading" Reflection- Rachel Freeman

 On Thursday, March 31st I moderated a speaker panel on behalf of the Student Sustainability Commission about the intersectionality of environmental and racial justice. We gathered speakers from four different domains of knowledge on the subject to gain more well-rounded information and perspectives than we would have if it were just student or activist speakers. I loved hearing the passion and influence these speakers portrayed through their thoughtful and insightful responses to each of our questions for them, and how excited they were to teach students about how environmental policy affects a lot more in our immediate community than we think. Grace Dodgell from the VA BLOC was especially interesting because they shared how they are from a higher-income area of Newport News. However, they grew to understand the struggles of and fight for those of lower socioeconomic status in their own backyard. The stories they told about BIPOC families with little to no access to healthcare, with higher subjectivity to gun violence, and less accessibility to nature preserves like parks are all results of systemic racism from before their time, and were so hard to hear as someone who is protected by the "CNU bubble." I loved how much they and Jasmine, our student speaker, encouraged the audience to get to know their community before they make assumptions about it, because the more young people who genuinely want to save this community from collapsing, the more people we will save from displacement, violence, food insecurity, and more. I can't wait to hold more events through SSC with speakers who will spark passion in more young people!