Dr. Dorceta Taylor, one of the nation’s leading environmental justice scholars and activists, will present in two public events on February 26^th and 27^th at Western Washington University and Whatcom Community College. Both events are free and open to the public.

“Power, Privilege, and Conservation: The Quest for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” will cover topics from her book “The Rise of the American Conservation Movement”. This work examines the emergence and rise of the multifaceted U.S. conservation movement from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Dorceta shows how race, class, and gender influenced every aspect of the movement, including the establishment of parks; campaigns to protect wild game, birds, and fish; forest conservation; outdoor recreation; and the movement’s links to nineteenth-century ideologies. Initially led by white urban elites—whose early efforts discriminated against the lower class and were often tied up with slavery and the appropriation of Native lands—the movement benefited from contributions to policy making, knowledge about the environment, and activism by the poor and working class, people of color, women, and Native Americans.

“Power, Privilege and Conservation” will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26 in Miller Hall 138 on Western’s campus. Facebook Event: Dorceta Taylor Keynote: Power, Privilege, and Conservation

“Building an Inclusive Environmentalism for the Next Seven Generations.” Please join us for a community conversation about the future of the environmental movement. Our panel of community leaders, and invited guest panelist Dorceta Taylor, will kick off the conversation by sharing their perspectives on questions such as: “What do we need from the environmental movement, in order to create a vibrant planet for all? Which aspects of current/mainstream environmentalism should we leave behind? Which organizations in Whatcom County and the Salish Sea region are pointing the way toward a more inclusive environmentalism, and how can we help that work grow?” This forum is part of the Community Engagement Fellows (cefellows.org) program, which aims to build stronger campus-community collaborations in the region. Refreshments will be provided.

“Building an Inclusive Environmentalism for the Next Seven Generations” will take place from 4:30-5:45 in Room 201 of the Pavilion & Student Recreation Center at Whatcom Community College. Facebook Event: Building an Inclusive Environmentalism with Dorceta Taylor

Taylor has published six books, more than 40 articles and book chapters and over a dozen reports on food justices, environmental justices, cities and the environment and institutional diversity. She holds doctorates in Sociology and Forestry from Yale University. Professor Taylor’s research interests include urban agriculture, food access, and food insecurity; institutional diversity; analysis of the composition of the environmental workforce; social movement analysis; environmental justice; leisure and natural resource use; poverty; and race, gender, and ethnic relations. Her current research includes an assessment of food access in Michigan and other parts of the country. A recently-published article on food justice in Detroit entitled, “Food Availability and the Food Desert Frame in Detroit: An Overview of the City’s Food Systemstates” (Environmental Practice), exemplify this work.

For more information about Taylor’s presentation and disability accommodations, contact Susanna Hamilton, Media Coordinator for Western’s Office of Sustainability at susanna.hamilton@wwu.edu & 360-650-4357.

Events are hosted by Western Washington University. WWU Co-Hosts include: The Office of Sustainability, University Residences, the Sustainable Action Fund, Huxley College of the Environment, the Ethnic Student Center, AS Environmental and Sustainability Programs, and Fairhaven College.