The Notorious Betty Reid Soskin

As she did with her efforts to speak the truth on the ‘Rosie the Riveter’ movement in the 90s, Betty swiftly cut through the delicate veil of silence surrounding our country’s current racial issues minutes into her speech at the Gala. 

Betty grew up in the presence of her great-grandmother, a woman who was born into slavery. She was 27 years old when her great-grandmother died. Betty lived and breathed in the presence of a woman who was subjected to the traditional form of American slavery that we only read about in textbooks.

There is a discomfort associated with discussing racism and discrimination. Yet as Betty says, if we don’t talk about it, really talk about it, how can we move forward? Betty’s words made me and all 300 NatureBridge Gala guests realize this as we sat in silence, absorbing every single word that left her lips.

In the environmental sector, it is quite glaring how much progress we have to make in this regard.

According to a report published by Green 2.0, people of color only make up an average of 15.4 percent of the workforce in environmental organizations in the U.S.

How can we build a more sustainable world for future generations if we keep a narrowed focus on environmentalism and do not take into account the racial equality aspect of a truly sustainable society?

It is estimated that by 2055, the U.S. will not have a single racial or ethnic majority according to the Pew Research Center. As our country makes this demographic transition, we must ensure that environmental organizations reflect that shift in our workforce. The basis of NatureBridge programs is to shape the next generation of environmental stewards, but without diverse staff members, we risk missing a large portion of our future leaders who may need an educator of their own racial background in order to feel empowered to succeed. In fact, a study made by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics concluded that having just one Black teacher in third, fourth or fifth grade reduced low-income Black boys' probability of dropping out of high school by 39 percent. 

To combat this issue, NatureBridge created the Educator Development Program (EDP), which aims to increase the representation of those who have had historical and systemic barriers to the field of outdoor education and environmentalism. EDP recruits and trains education staff from racial and ethnic minority groups, urban youth, low-income communities, immigrant communities, LGBTQ communities, and other underrepresented groups who can connect with our students based on shared experiences as members of the same marginalized communities. NatureBridge also partners with the Outdoor Education Institute to train NatureBridge staff with an outdoor professional and workforce development program that equips participants to be culturally relevant outdoor leaders.

Across the U.S., countless more environmental organizations have begun to take steps toward closing this diversity gap. Yet many programs continue to struggle to break what has been coined as the "green ceiling." It’s an obstacle that stems from an institutional exclusion of opportunities available to non-whites and an unconscious bias from the predominantly white environmental sector. Despite the pitfalls of the environmental movement, programs like those that NatureBridge offers have created a means for our youth to connect to our natural world in a meaningful way.

“We have created this incredible system of national parks where it’s possible for these children, who are served by NatureBridge, to revisit almost any era in our history,” Betty said as she wrapped up her speech.