“More than ever before in the recent history of this nation, educators are compelled to confront the biases that have shaped teaching practices in our society and to create new ways of knowing, different strategies for the sharing of knowledge.” - bell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins), Teaching to Transgress

This February marks the 50th anniversary of Black History Month as a nationally recognized celebration. Martin Luther King Jr., arguably the most famous civil rights activist of the 20th century, is an example of an intersection activist with his links to the origins of the environmental justice movement. 

Dr. King spoke at the Memphis Sanitation Worker’s Strike a day prior to his assassination in April 1968. The historic strike began in response to the death of two Black garbage collectors and fought against the unfair working conditions and wages of Black workers. This event is often referred to as a precursor to the environmental justice movement as it highlighted how race, labor and the environment are inextricably linked. After two months of striking, numerous police attacks on non-violent demonstrators and the assassination of Dr. King, the Memphis City Council agreed to increase wages and recognize the local union. This connection between civil rights movements and other movements such as environmentalism is not unique to Dr. King but is shared by a host of Black activists including Fannie Lou Hamer, Benjamin Chavis and Ella Baker.

On college campuses, Black civil rights activists utilized their platform to support other causes similarly affecting their........

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