Right now, amidst the Covid-19 crisis, the principle of Re-imagining central to the NC Climate Justice Collective’s work is on my mind and heart. On the scarce occasions I’m feeling calm enough to turn on the news, I often hear the same questions and dominant priorities framed in the same, tired ways. Whether to "reopen the economy" and risk the lives of those particularly vulnerable to this illness, whether the government should bail out the airline and other major, polluting industries while leaving the unemployed, the houseless, and working class and poor folks to struggle. In many ways climate change touches on the same questions, and both Covid and climate change show how grossly distorted the frameworks and ideas referenced by those in power truly are. Right now, we need to amplify and support the work of the many grassroots groups working to fundamentally re-imagine things like the economy and move towards more life-giving, interdependent and caring ways of living together in the times to come.
A few places to turn to for epic Re-imagining: The Feminist Agenda for a Green New Deal and the Green Stimulus Platform to Rebuild Our Economy.
In solidarity,
Mark Ortiz
Mark is a member of the Collective's Leadership Team.