Art of the Week
We’re all desperate to get back to normal. But should we?
by Kumi Naidoo South African human rights and environmental activist
So uninspired… It’s actually absurd.
In a time when we have been forced to change our ways
To pause and isolate and dream of better days
That we’d ever yearn for the world of yesteryear
A world so divided
So fragmented by fear
That we might just blow Mother Nature’s test
Longing for the same madness
That put us in this global sadness
Of me first and screw you
And buy-four-for-the-price-of-two.
Surely getting back to normal can’t be our aim
After all of the sacrifices, death and pain.
Kumi Naidoo was Executive Director of Greenpeace International (2009-2016) and former Secretary-General of Amnesty International (2018-2020). He is Global Ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity.
Calendar
Inspiration: Embracing our Differences
Watch the PBS video to see how this public outdoor art show by Embracing Our Differences addresses mental health and DEI in which grade school students go on a tour led by high school students.
“In Sarasota, Florida large-scale artworks are being used to teach students about diversity, inclusion and mental health. This comes at a time when there is growing controversy in the state, and school districts across the country, over how and whether to teach about racism in America.”
Take Action: Speak Out to Address the Climate Crisis
The latest UN IPCC report shows that there still is hope in averting a climate catastrophe. According to the report, renewable energy is an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels.
However, a toxic mix of science-averse politicians and special interest groups invested in fossil fuels have stalled policies meant to curb climate change.
We don’t have time for more inaction on the part of elected officials, as highlighted by the previous installment of the IPCC report.
Please join the Alliance and the NRDC and urge President Biden to push for effective climate change action now.
Take Action Success!
Thanks to you and so many others, we are celebrating three major successes:
1. New Supreme Court Justice Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
2. The extended moratorium on student loans
3. The passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act
Sustainability Fact: 99% of World Breathes Unhealthy Air
Weekly e-Newsletter
April 8, 2022
Editors: Amy Durr, Rae’Jean Alford
& Terry Gips
At the Alliance
Bad News: Climate Anxiety Impacts Young People Globally
59% of young people aged 16-25 are very or extremely worried about climate change (84% were at least moderately worried) and more than 50% reported each of the following emotions: sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty, according to the first large scale global study of young people in 10 countries (including the US), which was published in the December 2021 Lancet.
The study points out that “climate anxiety and eco-anxiety (distress relating to the climate and ecological crises)” actually “is rational and does not imply mental illness. Anxiety is an emotion that alerts us to danger, which can cause us to search for more information about the situation and find potential solutions.”
Good News: New UN Climate Report Says We Still Have Time to Act BUT Must Do it NOW
Song of the Week: John Legend and Ukrainian Artists Call for a ‘Free’ Country at Grammys
At the Grammys Sunday evening, 12-time Grammy winner John Legend debuted his powerful and poignant new song “Free”, which honors Ukraine and calls for it to be free. Following a stirring appeal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from a bunker, Legend sang at the piano and was joined by three Ukrainian women artists: bandura player Siuzanna Iglidan, singer Mika Newtown, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who had just escaped her war-torn homeland.