Last Friday, The Forum at Columbia hosted a panel of climate justice educators, where they discussed how universities can create real change in the field of environmental advocacy.

After a brief ride on the subway up to 125th Street, my friend Olivia (who tagged along out of interest) and I arrived at The Forum. A modern and aesthetically decorated gathering space, iThe Forum served as the location for a panel discussion titled “How Can Universities Accelerate Environmental and Climate Justice”. Moderated by Columbia Climate School professor Sheila Foster, it featured three other New York City-based professors who also serve as leaders in the field of climate advocacy: Ana Baptista of the New School, Kendra Sullivan of CUNY Graduate Center, and Liz Sevcenko of Rutgers University-Newark. 

Building on the New School’s “Centering Justice Symposium” and the manifesto drafted within, the panel focused on how universities can effectively advocate for and accelerate environmental justice by fostering genuine partnerships with the communities they are in and around, centering justice and in their actions, and prioritizing collaboration over competition. 

One of the first things I noticed upon taking my seat was the diversity of individuals in attendance. There were other student journalists scribbling on memo notepads, groups of educators and climate activists chatting in small groups, and young people clad in Columbia/NYU/the New School merchandise. As we all waited for the panel to begin, Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development Jacqueline Klopp and Professor of Biomedical Engineering/Vice Provost for the Fourth Purpose and Strategic Impact Sam Sia gave a brief introduction of the panel and its purpose.

Beginning with an acknowledgment of Columbia’s obligations to Harlem (particularly given their recent expansion into Manhattanville, where The Forum is located), the panelists discussed how community relates to climate justice. “I always say I’m like a vampire… I never cross the threshold into the community unless I’m invited in,” said Sullivan. In the context of partnerships between universities and their communities, this essentially means that the schools are obligated to first listen to the concerns and goals of their communities and then proceed with taking action. As a representative of the university, one isn’t able to choose an issue that they are most passionate about and bring it to community-based organizations; one must be called in by them first. The panelists also collectively noted the importance of helping smaller community groups grow to a point of self-sufficiency instead of having to rely on universities/larger groups in the area.  

Community-based environmental justice groups developing capacity is key , and the panelists emphasized that it cannot be done without inter-university cooperation and collaboration. Sevcenko, founder of the Humanities Action Lab, discussed how her work there has helped connect universities with their communities. According to their website, the Humanities Action Lab is “A coalition of universities, issue organizations, and public spaces that collaborate to produce community-curated public humanities projects on urgent social issues.” In her words, the various facets and objectives of the Humanities Action Lab involve “movement building, creating a collective voice to connect experience, and developing solidarity and emotional support.” She stated the importance of not lumping smaller, community-based environmental justice organizations and larger mutual aid groups together into one. Rather, gaining an understanding of the capabilities of both to promote effective collaboration between the two is a better path towards creating real change.

This comment served as a segue to a larger discussion on collaborative approaches to environmental justice. Baptista mentioned how competition between universities for resources, research opportunities, connections, etc. can result in the communities seeking support being pushed aside. “It’s about the cooperative nature of what we can do… Most of the time we work with the same groups,” said Baptista. Part of this effort is engaging students in activism, effectively training them to be leaders in the field. Sullivan, alongside other CUNY faculty, has developed a year-long immersive program partnered with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NEJA) called the NYC Climate Justice Hub Academy and Fellowship Program. The program works to help students gain field experience and familiarize themselves with climate justice spaces throughout New York City. “I’ve trained scholars to become public scholars,” said Sullivan, describing how she helped several grassroots organizations become staffed with CUNY students, “We’re base building.” Sullivan also took care to mention that it would be unfair to lump all institutions of higher education into one group in the context of this struggle; not all universities have access to the same resources or have the same ability to provide support. “We locate ourselves in the struggle,” said Sullivan. “We’re part of it.”

Though only slightly under an hour in length, the panel was both engaging and informative. I was envious of the several other attendees who were able to participate in a lunch and breakout room session with the panelists following the event; unfortunately, it was invite-only and our names were not on the list. Regardless, we left with a new perspective on our school’s place in the community and environmental justice.
The Forum has numerous activities per month, many of which are open to both the Columbia community and the general public! I absolutely recommend checking it out. For a list of upcoming events, check out their website.

Header Illustration via Anjali Mignone