Black churches finally joined the struggle to fight climate change. I was beginning to feel like the Lone Ranger at anti climate change meetings and rallies. Rarely did I see another African American participate. Understandably, many African Americans are preoccupied with pressing issues like police abuse, poverty and racism, but none of that matters if the Earth becomes uninhabitable.
I was raised in the Black church and my late father, a Baptist minister, taught me to love nature; to stand up for right and good. That is why I wrote and recorded “Free Mama Earth.” The environmental movement needs African Americans. We successfully led the civil rights movement and know how to peacefully organize masses of people to change injustice.
The “Green the Church” movement boasts membership of 1,000 Black churches across the USA. Pastors and their congregations are buying farm land, planting trees and crops and using sustainable materials to retrofit existing churches and build new sanctuaries. One of the main areas they are working on is renewable energy. I hope and pray “Green the Church” takes the next step and joins the divestment movement.
According to fossilfree.org: “Divestment is the opposite of investment – it simply means getting rid of stocks, bonds or investment funds that are unethical or morally ambiguous.” Divestment was a key tool in the worldwide anti-apartheid effort which ended the evil subjugation of the majority black South Africans by the minority white invading Dutch Afrikaans and British.
Environmentalists are using divestment to stop the fossil fuel industry from frakking & drilling because that is the primary cause of climate change. We want to develop and use sustainable, renewable energy from sun, wind and water, but the fossil fuel industry thwarts our efforts by paying off politicians so they can continue to reap obscene profits. Tax payers are subsidizing oil, gas and coal companies’ continued devastation of Mama Earth.
Black churches teach the philosophy of stewardship, which means God wants humans to wisely take care of the Earth and its inhabitants. We’re singing: “Say it loud. I’m green and I’m proud!” Now that Black churches have joined the fight to stop climate change and save our environment, I am confident in the victory of good over evil.
Free Mama Earth!
Aria