Respect for the Interconnected Web of All Existence of Which We are a Part

April is the perfect month to hold up our 7th Principle (see title). The beauty and wonder of our one precious earth will soon inundate our senses with birdsong, fragrance, color, and warmth. A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to escape our persisting winter by attending a conference in New Orleans. There the perennials were in full bloom and the warm, humid air was a welcome change (although my clothes were way too warm for it). 

The conference was a joint one between the UU Allies for Racial Justice and DRUUM, Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries. The site of New Orleans was chosen intentionally to demonstrate, be immersed in, and learn about two intersecting justice issues of the day: Climate Change and Institutional Racism. The trauma of Hurricane Katrina lingers in New Orleans. Hundreds of thousands of evacuated people were unable to return to their homes. The hardest hit population was disproportionately African American. Before Katrina, the New Orleans population was over 50% African American. Now ten years later it is less than half. Disaster capitalism, corporate-favoring legislation like ALEC, and gentrification of old neighborhoods are displacing the unique culture and tradition of New Orleans. 

The keynote was an attorney from Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy. She cogently laid out for us all the intersecting issues which Katrina left in her wake. The bottom line: one cannot be concerned with climate justice without also being concerned with race and class, migrant rights, land sovereignty, economic justice, and voting rights (voter restrictions and depopulation of people of color profoundly affect local law and policy). 

These may seem like issues that are far from were we live; geographically that might be true. But how we live our lives where ever we are does indeed affect how people live in other places. Our carbon footprint (how much energy we use including fossil fuels) and our consumption habits have a direct impact on climate everywhere. In the month of April, let us appreciate the good earth and how we are nurtured by her. Let us conserve water and fuel. Let us reduce, reuse, and recycle. Let us be aware of the multiple injustices of climate change and help when opportunities arise. In other words, let us be a blessing to the world where we can.