I Too Am The Lorax, I Speak for The Trees
I remember being in elementary school in 3rd grade and being ashamed with white friends because we just finished our history lesson on slavery. It should speak volumes that after we finished history, I would have feelings of shame but I digress (at least in this moment). It was not until I was much older and (with resistance) visited a plantation sight. I am grateful I took the tour I did led by my now friend Paul (make sure to go visit him at McLeod Plantation on James Island, SC) because he and McLeod are committed to providing tours from the eyes or experiences of the enslaved, not the glorified or white washed version we would be led to believe.
“Our people have been traumatized and disoriented. While the land was the “scene of the crime,” she was never the criminal. Our people mistakenly strove to divorce ourselves from her in an effort to get free. But without the land we cannot be free.” Leah Penniman, Farming While Black
In the time and effort spent to trace my maternal and paternal lineages, I found countless census records demonstrating my ancestors were no doubt an agrarian people. Through census records, farm schedules and land locations I was able to identify why my passion and love for freedom, plants and nature comes from a deep knowing and relationship from my ancestry. It’s in my DNA. No wonder, I feel saddened when I see piles of trees cut and harvested or when Earth’s lungs are on fire in the form of fires in the Amazon rainforest for, colonization and its by product, capitalization. I AM the Lorax, I speak for the trees.
Actually we all are, or should be. I get so many whispers from Spirit via the messages in kids movies and the Lorax is no different. Although it is supposed to be a cute little kids movie about a single tree seed a young boy needs to impress and win the love of his crush, there is enough there through the writing to realize just how damaging capitalism, colonization and greed play major roles in the world we live in and if we are not careful, well we too will one day be living to breathe fake air we have to pay for. Yes, the basic need for air. If you have not seen it, or need a refresher you should go watch it wherever streaming services are you have access to.
Not only do I see nature as a part of myself and me a part of her but I feel it is a part of our decolonizing work to honor how we have been a culture or society of extractors taking from and pillaging the land for our own (when I say our, I mean for colonized white supremacy) benefit without a thought or care to how it would affect us all. NOW we see, hear and understand how important climate change is to all of us and how the impacts of colonization have placed our planet and ourselves on a fast track to our demise.
Here’s what you can do:
Check out the new climate bill that was recently passed.
Measure you or your family’s carbon footprint by visiting either the Nature Conservatory or this interactive one at Global Footprint Network.
Research the products and brands you use to see if they are a part of the problem via greenwashing. Here are 10 companies that were recently called out for it.
Divest from banks that are funding fossil fuels, without your money in their banks they cannot invest in harming the planet.
We all have to wear clothing but it doesn’t have to be fast-fashion. If accessible for you, divest from fast fashion companies like Shein and Fashion Nova.
Check out this documentary on fast fashion and the true cost of looking good for less.