This article by Gayle explores the well acknowledged problem that Extinction Rebellion has been set up by white, middle aged and educated professionals. Despite structuring the movement using a 'no leadership' strategy, Extinction Rebellion has not been able to be as inclusive as it should be. This short article is a good starting point for those of you thinking about the relationship between race, intersectionality, climate change and the ecological crisis. It became a grounding for me to think about accessibility and diversity in Call Us Angels, and how I want to extend the project out to a wide range of voices. 

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To access the article, click here. You may have to sign up for The Guardian, but if you have any problems with this let me know and I will try to help out! 

It'sNiceThat is a creative platform founded in 2009. During #blackouttuesday, a movement on social media started by executives at Atlantic Records where many posted a black square in response to the murder of George Floyd, It'sNiceThat was one of the first social media accounts to also provide useful resources engaging with issues of race, inequality and police brutality. Click here for the extensive list of petitions, charities, books and movies to engage with and continue to support the #blacklivesmatter movement. As a starting point, I would recommend reading Why I’m No longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge,⁣⁣⁣and Natives by Akala. 

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If there are any other resources exploring race and climate justice that you think we should be looking at, please get in touch! 

This personal account by J Simons highlights Extinction Rebellion's lack of thought and engagement with minority groups. Throughout, Simons explores Extinction Rebellion's protest methods and explains why said methods do not take into account, and grossly impact, the poorest in our society. Since Simons' post, many within Extinction Rebellion are fighting for the group to adopt a 4th demand, addressing the years of climate and ecological injustice minority groups have faced. 

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To access this article, click here. 

I would also suggest pairing this article with the above 'Does Extinction Rebellion have a race problem?' by Damien Gayle in The Guardian. 

Audre Lorde was a prominent American black female writer throughout the 70s and 80s. Lorde's work Sister Outsider (1984) and A Burst of Light (1997) provide detailed accounts into Black studies, women's studies and queer theory. Lorde is perhaps most well known for her thoughts around self-care, stating in A Burst of Light that 'caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare' (1997). Suffering from breast cancer, Lorde explores what it meant to submit her body to the hands of a white, institutionalised doctor and takes us through her powerful acts of self-care to preserve her black, queer, female body. I would recommend Lorde's work to anyone who is interested in theories of self-care. I also believe Lorde's work is a must for those wanting to expand their reading into women's studies and queer theory. 

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Unfortunately, Lorde's work is not available to read online. I would suggest asking your local library to see if they can provide you with these resources. If not, Sister Outsider is available to purchase here and A Burst of Light is available to purchase here. 

Selina Thompson is a black British artist whose work often explores what it means to be a young black woman in the UK today. Her work salt. took Thompson on a cargo ship to journey the Atlantic slave route. salt., a theatre piece that involved Thompson smashing a massive rock of salt, was the result of that journey. Thompson makes some really exciting and thoughtful work, and should be a must-see for anyone interested or working in theatre or live art. 

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You can take a look at Thompson's website here. 

I would also suggest following Thompson on Instagram as she often posts thoughtful messages about having mental health issues whilst working in the arts. You can access her page here. 

Kimberle Crenshaw is a leading scholar in race theory. She is perhaps most well known for her theories on intersectionality, arguing that race, gender, ecological (etc) issues intersect and must be considered and discussed together. This is particularly useful for Call Us Angels as we are specifically thinking about both gender and ecological issues. 

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For a brief introduction to intersectionality, click here to watch a video from Crenshaw herself. 

She has also done many TED talks, including this one here which will help to further your understanding on intersectionality. 

If you want to start reading Crenshaw's work, I would suggest looking at 'Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics'. This article can be accessed here. You shouldn't need to be a part of an academic institution to access this article, but if you have any problems just get in touch and I will try to help.  

Munroe Bergdorf is a model and social activist based in the UK. Her work as a black trans activist is inspiring. Her Instagram account is a record of her activist work to date, highlighting the need to include trans voices when tackling race issues and the ecological crisis. I would suggest researching Bergdorf alongside Kimerle Crenshaw's theories on intersectionality. A good question to think about whilst researching is how do we include different issues and a variety of voices in the fight for racial quality and climate justice? 

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Bergdorf has her own website which can be accessed here. 

You can also follow her on Instagram by clicking here. 

For information on Kimberle Crenshaw's exploration of intersectionality, click here.  

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Like Munroe Bergdorf, Rachel E. Cargle has a large following of supporters on Instagram. As a black American academic, Cargle gives voice to the systemic racism present not just in her everyday life, but also with academic institutions - particularly, but not limited to, America. She is an advocate for race and feminist issues and there is a great activist to research alongside Audre Lorde (click here for more info) and Kimberle Crenshaw (click here for more info). 

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To have a look at and follow Cargle's Instagram, click here. 

I'd also suggest researching The Great Unlearn, a programme set up by Cargle to decolonise education systems. You can access more information on this via her website here or by following the Instagram page here.