Engage, Connect, Protect: Empowering Diverse Youth as Environmental Leaders
"Ezeilo's book is powerful, personal and practical. Speaking truth to power, she engages our
hearts while challenging our comfort zones as it relates to race and the environment. She
reminds of what's at stake with the only home we all know and what becomes possible if we take
risks that challenge the status quo. What's that saying ― when you know different, you can do
different? Well, read this book and let's get started!'"
―Carolyn Finney, Ph.D. author, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of
African Americans to the Great Outdoors
"As climate change and race dominate the national dialogue in the United States, Angelou
Ezeilo's Engage, Connect, Protect is right on time. Ms. Ezeilo artfully articulates the obscured
problem of racism in the country's environmental movement and unapologetically sets forth
solutions that loom to benefit all of us and the planet."
― Elaine Brown, author, The Condemnation of Little B and A Taste of Power , slated for film
production by Robbie Brenner Productions and Netflix
Book Description
Building environmental strength through a diversity of youth
WHILE CONCERN ABOUT the state of our land, air, and water continues to grow, there is
widespread belief that environmental issues are primarily of interest to wealthy white
communities. Engage, Connect, Protect explodes this myth, revealing the deep and abiding
interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities ― many of whom live
in degraded and polluted parts of the country – have in our collective environment.
Part eye-opening critique of the cultural divide in environmentalism, part biography of a leading
social entrepreneur, and part practical toolkit for engaging diverse youth, Engage, Connect,
Protect covers:
Why communities of color are largely unrecognized in the environmental movement
Bridging the cultural divide and activating a new generation of environmental stewards
A resource guide for connecting mainstream America to organizations working with diverse
youth within environmental projects, training, and employment.
Engage, Connect, Protect is a wake-up call for businesses, activists, educators, and policymakers
to recognize the work of grassroots activists in diverse communities and create opportunities for
engaging with diverse youth as the next generation of environmental stewards.
