Building a Regenerative System

This episode is the first part in a series of interviews connected to environmental justice with an extra attention to the intersection of spiritual, mental and environmental wellness. This is our chance to check in with outward practitioners of afrocentric faiths, religions, spiritual beliefs and divination systems. No one is expected to be a theologian of their faith. We are speaking from experience and emotion.

A sustainable system is not a regenerative system. The ultimate regenerative system is nature, and we must mimic nature’s design/balance in order to flourish. Our economic, social, and political structures must operate in harmony, not for our demise but for our collective survival. We must abolish systems that center extractivism and build regenerative systems that center our wellness.

Everyone has a role in the movement for Black liberation. Black people, non-Black POC, allies, white people, other movements, organizations, our elected officials, and our world leaders. Racial justice is climate justice. We cannot continue to operate from an extractive lens in our movement and personal lives, as it's that extractive lens that has created the fossil fuel industry and oppressive political and societal structures we fight against.

This episode brings to light the environmental justice definition of "environment" in the context of current events such as COVID-19, police brutality/murder, and environmental rollbacks. Hear anecdotes of police presence and the importance of centering Afrakan traditions in creating new systems, personal wellness, and strengthening communities by divesting and investing.