Empowered women empower women.
These are three powerful words that are often the mantra of feminists advocating for change. Although rippled through modern movements of feminism, history shows us, women have taken the stance as active agents in the fight to combat the oppression of the natural world connected so deeply to their own livelihood far before the empowerment shown at the forefront of the media today. Environmentalism movements led by women occur across the globe –most notably amongst those living in the Global South– as the egocentric degradation of land threatens their ability to access the very natural resources that nourish their souls. As individuals living in the Global North, we tend to overlook the privilege we have. We do not think about the labor one does to gather water for drinking, food for eating, wood for fueling, or the uneasiness in wondering if the next rainstorm or mass deforestation project will destroy the very land in which fosters our well-being.
I begin with this reflection for us to understand the power in women being activists in feminist environmentalism. The oppression of nature is linked to the oppression of women as the motive behind ecological degradation is to maintain capitalistic power, to favor profit over life. When one destroys the life of the land, they are taking resources with it. When one pollutes the land, they are contaminating the bodies of those in contact with it. The livelihood of women does not cross the androcentric mind; rather, power and control must remain intact.
Women of the Chipko movement stood in embrace of the trees that sourced their livelihood. Those at the political hands of power threatened the life of land and women as the leaves of the trees were converted to money as if life was invisible to the male gaze. The area that once produced the wood needed to make tools and provide fuel, the life that sourced photosynthesis and the air to breath, and the roots to keep the soil fertile and intact was now naked to the eyes of the androcentric mind. They say, why let a land filled with trees go to waste when companies that can generate profit for the region can utilize the space? Women fight back by saying ecology is their economy but their word is against the power of those who hold precedence in a patriarchal society. So what does one do when their word is against that of man? Women speak for the land and their life in taking action as they embrace the trunks exposed to the exploitation of man. A movement that has generated pressure in the political sector to notice the destruction of life in actions of ignorance.
The women and children of the Brazilian slums are faced with food insecurity and economic burden as they must rummage through the garbage consuming the canals that once sustained life and nature’s beauty. Picking up can after can, hoping one day they can generate enough wealth to break them free from the debilitating life in the slums ignored by those at the top with enough wealth and power to provide for all those pleading for recognition and support. It is not until pictures of children living amongst the degradation of the land surface the media that power feels the need to speak only to take action for those pictured while the land and all remaining life is left to swim in the garbage of capitalism. Again, women are facing direct disrespect to land as they are left to care for their children while the resources needed to live are washed away.
Wangari Maathai of the Green Belt Movement gathered women in the distribution of seedlings to encourage planting belts of green across the lands that have been taken from them. No longer will the soil be harmed by the effects of erosion but instead acres of trees will provide the shade, oxygen and lumber that the women who work the lands have been pleading for. As women begin to fight for the resources that sustain their life, those in authority are threatened with the words of patriarchy; women do not have a voice and neither do they behave with command. Rather than falling to the weight of subjugation, women began to develop techniques that they knew would place power and fortune into their own hands. The provision of seeds led by the movement empowered women as it was a simple task, achievable, and witnessed each day as the growth of trees flourished right before their presence. It was not aid from the government but rather their own hands that improved the quality of life for their community. As I read the story of these women who were disadvantaged in a society that favors privilege, I cannot help but think of the willpower and strength they had to watch their environment degrade, hear authority berate their value, and yet develop strategies of activism to empower each other to take matters into their own hands. This very courage was not simply an action, but rather a necessity in preserving the life of the land tied so closely to their own existence. Behind the material deprivations there are deeper issues of disempowerment as power works to interrogate, criminalize, and silence their voice in the name of patriarchy. There are deeper issues of capitalism in environmental degradation as the resources being diminished did not alter the life of the privileged but rather commodified the embodied experience of the vulnerable.
As we listen to the voices of indigenous communities, behind the cultural loss is movement to end diversity, to instill white supremacy. As corporations come to take over the land, they do not care to understand how profiting off the land will impact the livelihood of indigenous communities. They care about the dollar signs rather than the deep connection between land, body, mind, and soul. Indigenous women who experience the consequences of environmental degradation most intensely speak of the land as extended family, the dislocation of communities from the land will not be a temporary adjustment, it is a life-long loss of identity and culture. It is not just exploitation of the land but exploitation of the women’s body. As mining projects move in, violence, pregnancy, disease, and deprivation come along with them. As the land is raped of its resources, as are the women of indigenous communities, objectified by the hands of power.
Prolific The Rapper x A Tribe Called Red use music to express the violence against the land in connection to the livelihood of indigenous communities. The power of the lyrics translates emotion into the ears of listeners as we hear calls of recognition and action rather than empty promises. The provision of jobs and stimulation of the economy will not protect the land from degradation. It will not honor the sacredness of the natural world to that of the soul. Projects of exploitation fail to recognize that the land is not ours to take, it works to disconnect human life from that of all other living entities. While the media works to paint an entirely different message, the protests held by indigenous peoples are a peaceful act of activism hoping to create change while the violent acts of capitalism and patriarchy are left unspoken.
As I read about the Standing Rock Sioux protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, I am brought to current events of the recently approved Willow Project. The $8 billion drilling project is set to occur closest to the town of Nuiqsut, home to Alaska Native populations. The construction of the land will impact subsistence activities such as fishing and hunting which increases food security amongst the community. The project is also set to increase exposure to air and water pollution threatening the health of Indigenous peoples, a contract that they did not sign. Reading about yet another project rooted in profit and power is truly disheartening as the exploitation of the vulnerable and eradication of natural resources is left to be forgotten. It is evidence that an intersectional framework is lacking in our legislature. Decisions are made with a blind lens to those that are disadvantaged in society in attempts to keep those in power in that very place. Superiority continues to be rooted in disempowerment and deprivation as we forget to remember that the land is a source of life. The disconnect does not only oppress the land, but also women who are connected in the provision of sustaining life.
Ivona Gebara provides an alternative perspective in applying faith to activism as she highlights, while the discussion of theories is occurring, so is the destruction of life. While social and environmental movements to end the oppression may bring recognition to problems, it will not work to solve the problems of patriarchy. There is no equality present in the social construction of hierarchy and she connects this to the cultural product of theology. Christian theology is rooted in the hegemonic ideals of androcentrism. Power is in the hands of men who have knowledge making perspectives–such as ecofeminism–a deviance from the expected. Gebara calls for a world in which the poor and marginalized are given the equal opportunity to live in peace through the rehabilitation of the utopian perspective rebuilt on justice. However, what is important to note is that she does not discredit spiritual values to that of material realities; rather, she wishes to diminish the structure of patriarchy that has worked to shape lives as it works to rank the value of life instead of honoring the importance of egalitarian relationships between man, woman, and all other forms of life.
As I reflect on the movements of activism discussed above, it is evident that political reshaping of social structure is needed. History continues to repeat itself as the hands of power continue to fall disproportionately to men. This ignores the connection of ecological degradation to that of the oppression of women as profit and control continue to take the reins. Women are essentialized into a single category when attempts of action are made ignoring the intersection of identities that occur globally. It is not until we honor that women are at the forefront of environmental exploitation, that we hear the voices of those marginalized, that we elect women in representation, that we will see a world that destroys the hierarchy and values all life as their own.
Hey very nice site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your
website and take the feeds additionally? I am satisfied to search out numerous helpful information right here in the put up, we’d like work out more strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing.
. . . . .
Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to death
at work so I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break.
I enjoy the information you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!
We stumbled over here different website and thought I may as well check things out.
I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward
to looking into your web page for a second time.
Hello Guru, what entice you to post a commentary? Nice Blog
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How lengthy have you been blogging for?
you make blogging glance easy. The total glance of your web site is fantastic, as neatly
as the content material!
This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how
to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was
almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented
it. Too cool!
First off I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask
if you do not mind. I was curious to know how you
center yourself and clear your mind before writing.
I’ve had trouble clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out.
I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10
to 15 minutes are lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any
recommendations or hints? Thanks!
korepetitorius
Hi everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this web page, and post is
really fruitful in support of me, keep up posting these content.
coreofborneo.com bukan sekadar klaim berlebihan.
Artikelnya informatif slot dan mudah dipahami. https://lapet.drr.ac/
This is the right blog for everyone who hopes to understand this topic.
You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you
(not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject
that has been written about for many years.
Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
Hi mates, fastidious paragraph and nice urging commented here, I am really enjoying by these.
Nice post ! Thanks for, posting on my blog mate!
I shall email you some time. I did not know that.
It’s fantastic that you are getting ideas from this post as well as from our dialogue made at this place.
Hello I am so happy I found your webpage, I really
found you by accident, while I was researching on Yahoo
for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say kudos
for a tremendous post and a all round enjoyable blog (I also love
the theme/design), I don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I
have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so
when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do
keep up the excellent job.
Excellent post. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed!
Extremely helpful info particularly the remaining part 🙂
I maintain such info a lot. I used to be looking for this particular info for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
Купить вилочные погрузчики
Hyster
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many
thanks, However I am encountering problems with your RSS.
I don’t understand why I am unable to subscribe to it.
Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anyone who
knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily
basis. It’s always helpful to read through content
from other writers and use a little something from their sites.
Hi to all, the contents existing at this web page are actually awesome for people knowledge, well, keep up the
good work fellows.
Post writing is also a fun, if you be familiar with afterward you can write or else it
is complex to write.
fantastic publish, very informative. I wonder why the
other experts of this sector don’t understand this. You should continue your writing.
I am sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
I used to be able to find good info from your blog posts.
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment.
I do believe that you ought to publish more about this issue, it might not
be a taboo matter but generally people do not speak about such subjects.
To the next! All the best!!
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I
have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
I must thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this site.
I really hope to check out the same high-grade content by you in the future as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get
my own blog now 😉
Do you have any video of that? I’d like to find
out more details.
I am sure this article has touched all the internet visitors, its really really nice post on building up new weblog.
Great post.
Hi there Dear, are you actually visiting this web site daily,
if so afterward you will without doubt obtain good
knowledge.
Wow, this piece of writing is fastidious, my sister is analyzing these things, thus I am going to tell her.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though
you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly
know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog
when you could be giving us something informative to read?
This paragraph will assist the internet people for creating new webpage or even a weblog from start
to end.
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this website.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s hard to get that “perfect balance”
between usability and visual appeal. I must say that you’ve done a excellent job
with this. Additionally, the blog loads very quick for me on Firefox.
Excellent Blog!
My coder is trying to convince me to move to
.net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of
the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a variety of websites for about a
year and am nervous about switching to another platform.
I have heard good things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it?
Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this post is awesome, great written and include approximately all important infos.
I’d like to look extra posts like this .
Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace
group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really
appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this
website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would
like to find out where u got this from. kudos
This helped me a lot, thanks!
Linnk exchange is nothing else except it is only placing the other
person’s blog link on your page at proper place and other person will
also ddo same Car for rent in Colombo favor of you.
This design is steller! You most certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful
job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that,
how you presented it. Too cool!
Attractive component to content. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact loved account your weblog posts.
Anyway I will be subscribing to your feeds or even I achievement you access consistently
quickly.
I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This paragraph posted at this site is in fact
pleasant.
Nicely explained with solid reasoning.
Почему пользователи выбирают площадку KRAKEN?
Маркетплейс KRAKEN заслужил доверие многочисленной аудитории благодаря сочетанию ключевых факторов.
Во-первых, это широкий и
разнообразный ассортимент, представленный сотнями
продавцов. Во-вторых, интуитивно понятный интерфейс KRAKEN,
который упрощает навигацию,
поиск товаров и управление заказами даже для новых пользователей.
В-третьих, продуманная система безопасных транзакций, включающая механизмы разрешения споров (диспутов) и возможность использования условного
депонирования, что минимизирует риски для обеих сторон сделки.
На KRAKEN функциональность сочетается с внимательным отношением к безопасности
клиентов, что делает процесс покупок более предсказуемым, защищенным и,
как следствие, популярным среди пользователей, ценящих анонимность и
надежность.
Asking questions are truly good thing if you are not understanding anything totally, except this paragraph presents good understanding
yet.
Good day! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless
I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links
or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa?
My blog addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and
I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Superb blog by the way!
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is fantastic, let alone
the content!
My site :: สมัครหวยออนไลน์ lotto
I pay a visit everyday a few web sites and blogs to read posts, but this blog provides quality based writing.
Feel free to surf to my homepage خرید بک لینک