Chris Kosakowski delivered a compelling presentation during a session of SUNY ESF’s seminar FOR 797: Perspectives on Career and Gender that took place on April 2, 2024. The discussion centered on feminism and environmental justice, with a particular focus on how intersecting identities can compound marginalization.
The presentation generated conversation among attendees about the complexities of engaging with environmental activism. One particularly compelling topic of discussion revolved around how it is often easier to focus on the negative consequences of marginalization and injustice, rather than their solutions. During the conversation, attendees discussed the reasons for this. One student expressed how this is a matter of logistics, in that it is often necessary to diagnose a problem before one can address it. Michael Mikulewicz, a co-instructor of the class, observed that people who offer solutions then need to be accountable for the consequences of those solutions, which is an immense responsibility. Ultimately, the severity of environmental degradation may feel unapproachable to address at the individual level, which poses a significant barrier toward making meaningful change through environmental activism.
The conversation also centered on how the consequences of environmental injustice are not born evenly across identity categories. Socioeconomic status is the primary driving force determining one’s vulnerability to environmental injustice, and marginalized identity categories across gender, sexuality, disability-status, citizenship status, and race can compound such vulnerabilities. Chris Kosakowski insisted that individuals in positions of relative privilege have a duty to advocate on behalf of those who are the most marginalized.
Lia Figurelli, a campus educator and advocate, also provided an overview of the resources available to students through Vera House.
Chris Kosakowski earned a Master of Social Work from Syracuse University. He presently serves as the Coordinator of Student Inclusion Initiatives and is the Project Director for ESF's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Grant. For more information about his work, please visit https://www.esf.edu/student-affairs/index.php. Follow esf.edu/calendar to stay updated on all public programs.
As part of the requirements for FOR 797, Perspective on Career and Gender students share responsibility of reporting on a subset of class discussions, including this public session with the Choose Action Network. The preceding was prepared by Taylor Wegner, MS student in the Department of Sustainable Resource Management
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