TX Observer: “When Kidus Girma moved from Ethiopia to Dallas as a child, his family settled in Vickery Meadow. The neighborhood is home to a working-class immigrant and refugee enclave. Like many urban areas, Dallas’ population is deeply segregated by race and class. Its green spaces are segregated too: Research shows that they tend to be concentrated in wealthier, whiter parts of town where temperatures can be nearly 40 degrees cooler thanks to tree coverage.
Girma, now 26, is part of the Sunrise Movement, a national, youth-led climate campaign that centers its activism on people. He doesn’t consider himself a traditional environmentalist—he’s less interested in saving trees or polar bears for the sake of nature—instead, he’s interested in communities like the one he grew up in.
“People usually think of [climate change as] disasters, but it’s a slow-burn. Slightly hotter summers means slightly higher electric bills.” A city’s placement of parks or parking lots isn’t just a zoning issue, it’s an environmental issue that impacts the quality of life for nearby residents.
It may seem mundane, but connecting these problems with climate justice is an important part of Girma’s work. “It touches on everything, from housing to public transportation that actually gets you where you need to go,” Girma says. “We won’t win unless we are actively creating a new world.””