Jazz, beignets and climate justice

Over Easter Break, I immersed myself in climate justice with hundreds of people in Bvlbancha, which means “place of many languages” in Chota. Most readers will know that place as New Orleans. I was one of eight students sponsored by Climate Justice Club to attend Power Shift, an international, intersectional climate justice conference. Power Shift brought climate justice activists, artists, researchers and government officials from the Americas, the Caribbean and Oceania. Throughout the experience, channeling Zac Efron’s “We’re All in This Together” energy, the conference pushed the idea that climate justice affects us all differently.

On the somewhat hellish 20-hour coach bus ride down, we shared stories and experiences with new friends from CSB+SJU and from across Minnesota. I used that time in part to think about my own identity and positionality. As a white cisgender male, I belong to groups that have directly silenced any other voices for generations. However, after recently recognizing that I am queer, I do not draw on that identity much when addressing social justice issues like climate change. I met our fellow bus riders, admired the seventh-largest pyramid in the world (Bass Pro Shop in Memphis) and attempted to sleep.

The conference lasted three days. Each day featured keynote interviews followed by small groups for action, learning and networking. Those smaller events represented climate justice intersecting with racial justice, labor organizing, geographic differences, Indigenous issues, queer identities, feminist activism and more social justice issues. I attended events on Black Maritime History, the U.S. military complex and its ecological impacts in the South and toxic industry that takes place within Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” There was also an open mic night and a job fair that many of our students enjoyed. In the city, talented live jazz graced every street corner.

We also got to try amazing food, from beignets to Brazilian cheese bread, from arepas to Nicaraguan churros. After enduring the 20-hour bus ride back, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. Over those four days, I built connections with student leaders within the CSB+SJU family, Minnesota and beyond the U.S. I felt like I grew exponentially during this trip, and I heard others echo the same sentiment. Power Shift showed the raw strength of joyful, wholehearted dedication to something one loves. For this Earth Day and beyond, I challenge you to find something similar. Be it climate justice, another social justice issue, academics or athletics, being dedicated to something is integral to the human experience. Sharing your passion with a broader community is remarkable, and I challenge you to find something that pushes you slightly more.

My introductory experience for finding this kind of community was Power Shift, and I plan to spread that joy over my next two years at CSB+SJU. And hey … who knows? We hope to maybe see you at Power Shift next time, enthused, nervous and fully present, in your personal, powerful image.