Making Equity A Central Part Of The San Diego Green New Deal

Speaker 1: 00:00 As California experiences weather extremes. One organization is asking how San Diego can center equity when addressing climate change. That is the question to be discussed at an upcoming event being held tomorrow. The climate action campaign will host a panel called centering equity in the San Diego green new deal. Muleeka Marsden climate justice advocate and organizer of the climate action campaign joins us now with more Mulligan. Welcome. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Tomorrow's event is about climate equity within the San Diego green new deal. First refresh our memory on what the San Diego green new deal is. Speaker 2: 00:36 Right. So much like the federal level, uh, the San Diego green new deal has three key pillars, climate, jobs and justice. So as we can see with all these fires that are ravaging the state right now, the climate crisis is now an emergency that isn't taking place in our own backyards right now. And we need a plan to get to zero emissions as climate science is saying is absolutely necessary, but to do so, it is important that we ensure that we are creating good high wage jobs and also prioritizing and promoting justice. And equity for communities of concern communities and concern being working class communities of color, uh, that are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice, racial injustice and economic inequality. Speaker 1: 01:30 Cause I'd like to hear you tell me a bit more about that. You know, in what ways does inequity show up when action is made to address climate change? Speaker 2: 01:39 Right. So when addressing a inequity in climate change, um, there are several things we can do. Uh, we need to make sure that we have meaningful participation and leadership from these communities of concern. We also need to make sure that we are kind of centering the efforts that are already happening in these communities. And I'll give you a couple of examples. So, um, you opportunity passes or no cost transit passes for youth, uh, is a campaign that is being advocated for by Mid-City can, which is an organization in city Heights. And this campaign originated out of that neighborhood. And the idea is that if we provide no cost transit passes for youth, not only will we, uh, create a new generation of transit riders that will help dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. But we will also provide more opportunity, um, ways to get to school and, and to jobs and other activities for communities, um, that already suffered just proportionately from the impacts of the climate crisis. Speaker 1: 02:46 Okay. And why is it important climate equity be part of the San Diego green new deal? Speaker 2: 02:52 Right. Um, so there's some criticisms out there that why, why, if this climate crisis is so urgent, do we have to tackle injustice and jobs? And there's a couple different reasons. And the first is the climate crisis. Racial inequity and economic inequality are all rooted and rely on the same, the same problems of exploitation and oppression. And if we don't acknowledge and address that, that is the root cause, we will never solve the climate crisis. So to try to, uh, to artificially pool the climate crisis away from these other symptoms, uh, will not be effective. And secondly, this moment in history is going to require everyone. And, uh, we need to make sure that we are building a movement that everyone can be a part of. And that includes the workers who are rightfully scared, uh, about their jobs in the oil. And gas industry. Speaker 2: 03:51 So we need to make sure that we are providing jobs, um, that are going to be just as good or better. Um, and we also need to make sure that the, the, the communities, the people that are concerned about paying their bills, about making sure that their children have a safe and livable future and an access to opportunity are also going to be behind this movement. So we really need to paint a picture, a movement that everyone can fight. For what ways would climate equity be achieved through the San Diego green new deal and what do solutions look like? Right. So, um, I think this conversation is kind of the first step. We need to start listening. We need to hear from the great panelists we have and other voices about how we can create a movement that invites and inspires the participation of working class communities of color that are on the front lines of climate change. Speaker 2: 04:44 Um, and we also need to learn from and support current sustainability efforts that indigenous communities and working class communities of color have already been, uh, working on for a long time. And assembly woman, Shirley Weber is the keynote at the event. Tell me about why she's the person you all chose for this right. Assembly member, Weber has, um, been a long time champion for both environmental justice and racial and economic justice. And for that reason it just made sense. Um, she also rappers events the district where we are having this event, which is at the Malcolm X library in Southeast San Diego. And there will be a panel discussion after the keynote. Can you give us an overview of who will be on the panel and what they'll be discussing? Right. So we have an amazing list of panelists. Um, so we have Rosa OLIS guava from mid city. Can we have Eddie price from grid alternatives? Speaker 2: 05:43 Amy and Mary from the Indian health council, uh, Jacquelline Reynoso from mothers out front. Bobby Wallace from Barona band of mission Indians and the moderating the whole thing will be Vista council member Corina Contrarez. And um, so they're going to talk about a lot of things. They're gonna talk about what equity means to them. They're going to talk about current efforts that their communities are already working on in terms of sustainability or the intersection between sustainability and equity. They're going to talk about how we can build this movement that really invites and inspires communities of concern to to participate. We're going to talk about how we can make sure that there is a meaningful participation and leadership as we move forward. Speaker 1: 06:27 And this kind of, this discussion is the first step. What are the next steps in developing the San Diego green new deal? Speaker 2: 06:33 Right? So we have this growing Alliance right now of organizations and individuals and next step or next steps, we're finalizing a vision statement and a platform. We're going to hold town halls, we're going to grow the movement and ultimately we're going to start implementing in cities and the County. And so that is why we are calling on the next mayor of San Diego to really lead on this. And also counting on the new County board of supervisors to also lead on this. And we need to get moving as quickly as possible because we have no time to waste as these fires are reminding us. Speaker 1: 07:09 I have been speaking with Malika Marsden, climate justice advocate and organizer with the climate action campaign. Will IGA, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. The centering equity event is Tuesday from six to 9:00 PM at the Malcolm X library on market street in San Diego, RSVP and climate action campaign.org.