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Restory-ing America’s Environmental Past and Present . Drawing upon her diverse ethnic background (Savoy is of African-American, Indian-American and Euro-American heritage) and her deep knowledge of America’s natural and human history, Savoy addressed the topics of identity and connection with place and examined the environmental movement in the U.S. and the critical link that exists between environmental and social issues.

Savoy began her lecture by examining her relationship with nature as a minority child during a tumultuous time in history. Growing up in the time of the Vietnam War and the race riots of D.C., Savoy questioned her “identity and [her] authenticity in the world” with regards to the environment and society at large. Faced by racially charged teasing as a child, Savoy recalled how she found refuge “outside in a nature that never judged or spat”. Despite this immediate relationship with the environment, Savoy felt disconnected from the American landscape as an individual of mixed race. In history classes she rarely learned about how her ancestors related to the land, only hearing tales of the forced removal of her Native American ancestors and the abuse of her African brethren. Upon reading Aldo Leopold’s

A Sand County Almanac, Savoy found herself confronted by the exclusionary nature of the environmental movement: in the entire book there is only one reference to slavery, and little mention of Native America and African American history with the land.

Utilizing her broad historical knowledge, as well as her personal history, Savoy painted a picture of America’s environmental and cultural past. Savoy cited how W.E.B Du Bois and other African American leaders held as much concern for the environment as they did for social reform. In fact, the two topics were so closely inter-twined that these leaders felt that they could not be considered independently. For example, both the land and the African American slaves working in the fields were harmed by

the use of arsenic as a pesticide on tobacco fields. Commenting on the historical portion of Savoy’s lecture, Dean of Student Affairs Rochelle Calhoun noted that, “For what now must be decades, people of color have worked diligently to address the environmental issues that have affected their lives. This advocacy for justice has long gone unrecognized—leading to questions about why people of

color are not visible in the environmental moment.”

Savoy went on to recognize areas in which abuse against minorities and the environment has occurred, where these abuses are still occurring, and where missed opportunities for collaboration between

environmental and social topics have taken place. According to Savoy, “liberty, equality and justice” are three of the greatest unresolved tasks for American democracy. It is not a matter of minorities coming to the table of the environmental movement. Instead, “we must design and build a table together,” built in the spirit of true collaboration to address the interest of all parties. This tactic of reaching out rather than inviting in serves as a powerful lesson for environmental and social activist leaders and groups.

Savoy ended her lecture by emphasizing that when we reach out, we will find allies and common ground in surprising places. Dr. Calhoun summarized the lecture nicely: “Dr. Savoy brought depth and meaning to the connections between the environment and social justice…she brought a spirit of collaboration which calls for us to sit around new tables if we are serious about making the connections between these two very important issues.” To move forward we must “enlarge the frame” and expand the movement to include the rights of the environment, but more importantly the rights of all peoples who belong to this land.

- Sarah Risley ‘14

This past fall brought several engaging speakers to campus. The ES Keynote speaker this year was Dr. Lauret Savoy, a geology professor from Mount Holyoke College who addressed how race and identity shape one’s relationship with the environment. Dr .Tom Wessels from the Center for Whole Communities gave a lecture on reading a forested landscape, and led students on an interpretive walk through the North Woods. Jamie Rappaport Clark, head of Defenders of Wildlife, discussed the intersection of policy and wildlife.

In October, Sustainable Skidmore and the Environmental Studies Program were delighted to welcome Tom Wessels to Skidmore. An acclaimed ecologist, professor, and author, Wessels opened the eyes of Skidmore students and faculty, as well as community members, to the history that we can learn from the environment. The Skidmore Student Conservation Corps, the college’s newest independent study, and others joined Wessels for a walk through North Woods before attending his lecture, entitled “Reading the Forested Landscape” after one of his books.