Intersectional Climate Action leaders Working Group

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This Working Group is intended for BIPOC identified faculty, staff, administration, students, community partners, champions, and advocates of HBCU and MSI institutions in and beyond Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Network. This Working Group is the result of months of intentional and authentic relationship building, and strategic planning which we hope to continue to cultivate into 2023. This Working Group was also made possible by Second Nature’s partnership with Black Sustainability, Inc.

The Goal
During the 2023 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit the Working Group convened their first session entitled, “BIPOC Leaders Advancing Climate Action at HBCUs and MSIs”.  The working group now seeks to utilize and put to action summit session feedback to develop into its own ‘think tank’.  The purpose of creating this space is to strategize on how HBCUs and MSIs can build, grow, and sustain their capacity to advance climate action and sustainability initiatives, and how Second Nature can support this effort with our new strategic approach to membership, and ongoing programming end engagement. 

This Working Group moves at the pace of the direct feedback of our members, and is democratically driven with an explicit focus on racial equity.  Developing and building long lasting community is a top priority of this group.  We will also focus on developing educational materials, creating a peer mentorship framework with our partners at Intentional Endowments Network, and help each other advocate for action for our respective institutions, as well as share best practices in moving this action forward. 

We welcome a diversity of experience in this effort, to prioritize defining the needs of HBCUs/HSIs/MSIs/ and Tribal Colleges and the communities they serve. 

How to Join
Please sign-up and share this Working Group Interest Form with identified BIPOC leaders on your campus. You are a valued contact in this outreach process as an institutional affiliated leader at a designated minority-serving institution that is either currently or has previously engaged with the Climate Leadership Network. Your institutional knowledge and unique understanding of your demographic base is a valued contribution to this committee. 

This intake form will be crucial in helping us shape our work and ensure that we see this process through effectively and equitably. The Working Group will work to build off and grow historic work, including this past initiative and resource to highlight the unique journeys of HBCUs and MSIs in the field of sustainability.

The Intersectional Climate Action Leaders Working Group meets the third Thursday of each month, 3-4 pm EST. Please submit your interest and let us know if you have any questions or are interested in joining the Working Group.