ATB4ALL BLOG
Join us in learning about and celebrating the leaders and communities
on the frontlines of climate change that are working to protect 30×30, with a
Justice40 lens, through the America the Beautiful for All Coalition
Op-ed: Celebrating Collective Power for Change
through the America the Beautiful for All Coalition
By Justice Outside President and CEO Kim Moore Bailey
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2024, by Comms Team
Last year, I was approached to join the America the Beautiful for All steering committee alongside a stellar group of leaders and advocates in the environmental and outdoors sector. I accepted the opportunity not only because its mission spoke to me personally, but also because the Coalition’s twin goals—protecting 30% of our lands and waters by 2030 and ensuring that at least 40% of investments in reaching this historic goal are made in communities of color and frontline communities that have historically seen little to no investment in conservation and equitable access to nature—are the key to facing the deeply rooted inequities in our sector and mitigating some of the worst impacts of climate change.
The Coalition’s work and the process in which we are advancing change spoke to my experiences as a Black woman leader in the environmental and outdoors sector. Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color often hold the solutions to the issues facing our world, from climate change to economic disparity. Through centuries of having to survive without consistent investment from the state, we have learned how to lean on each other and creatively find solutions that are rooted in mutual aid and community support. Yet, we’re severely underrepresented in the environmental and outdoor sector. That’s why my organization Justice Outside works to advance racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental sector through building organizational capacity, developing the outdoors workforce, grantmaking, and advocacy. We joined the America the Beautiful for All coalition because it is intentionally working towards not only meaningful representation but also towards centering the leadership of leaders of color.
The coalition model utilized by America the Beautiful for All is effective and a key to radical transformation. This model allows leaders and organizations, including community-led efforts, to come together and pool our power and resources for change. When we show up to a meeting on the Hill, there are not only leaders of the biggest environmental justice organizations in DC and New York in the room with us. There are folks from across the country and from organizations of different sizes and backgrounds. There’s power in that plurality because we bring with us the wisdom of our communities and the legitimacy of community driven organizations that are deeply rooted in and led by the solutions of our peoples. At Justice Outside, we push back against the idea that one extraordinary person or organization has the answers when it comes to the issues we face. No one person or organization is a savior or a solution. It’s community that has answers. It’s our collective networks and collective power that will lead to change. While there’s space for growing our coalition and adding more groups and voices to it, that sentiment of collective power building is embodied in the design of the America the Beautiful for All coalition.
From advocating for a just and fast transition away from fossil fuels to investment in public transit to connect all our communities to green spaces, every one of the issues highlighted in the Coalition’s policy agenda is timely and essential. Through our policy agenda, we identify some of the most urgent issues in the environmental and outdoor field and present solutions that are rooted in equity and justice. We cannot wait any longer to address rising sea temperatures and the imminent threat to marine diversity or the disproportionate harmful health impacts of traditional mining on our communities. The America the Beautiful for All coalition policy agenda shares specific and tangible ways for the Biden-Harris administration to tackle these issues with the support, buy-in, involvement, and leadership of frontline communities and communities of color.
To sustain our planet and communities for the current and future generations, it’s time to tap into the collective power of the American the Beautiful for All Coalition and the communities we represent. The Coalition’s tent is large and growing. There’s still work to be done to build trust towards the coalition and the table has the ability to grow bigger and be even more inclusive. This is key because it’s going to take all of us to bring change and build a sustainable world. No one coalition or organization has the bandwidth or ability to address the great challenges ahead of us. To apply the principle of “nothing about us without us” to the America the Beautiful for All Coalition requires that we continue to invest in inviting and bringing in folks from different walks of life. Join us in our advocacy for 30 by 30 and Justice 40 for our peoples and our planet.
About Kim Moore Bailey:
With over 25 years of experience in strategic planning and community engagement, Kim Moore Bailey (she/her) provides the leadership and vision that drives Justice Outside’s work, shifting resources to, building power with, and centering the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to advance racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement.
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Justice Outside, Kim guides the overall strategic direction for the organization and supports the leadership team as they manage the organization’s grantmaking portfolio, training and capacity-building programs and on-going advocacy work.
Kim is a frequent speaker and thought leader on topics related to racial equity and inclusion in the outdoor and environmental fields. As a facilitator, she has supported many individuals and organizations in thinking about equitable access to nature and designing outdoor spaces and programming that supports this goal.
Prior to Justice Outside, Kim was a Vice President with Outward Bound where she supported their city-based programs, and she was the Mayoral appointee as the Manager for Denver Parks and Recreation.
Kim serves on the Board of Directors for the Children & Nature Network, The Redford Center, The National Recreation Foundation, and the Blue Sky Funders Forum.