Two years ago, news outlets covered a story of prejudice against women activists from African countries in the climate movement. The Associate Press cropped Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate activist, out of a photo with white activists at a climate conference. In the following days, conversations surrounding racism against activists ensued, with more people coming forward to share their experiences. Apologies were issued and the paper claimed they had no ill intent, but this is a broader recurring theme: the media portrayal of environmental justice is often not inclusive of the people who are most affected by climate change. In response to the situation, Nakate said “You didn’t just erase a photo. You erased a continent.” The silencing of African activists is especially distressing because countries in Africa are among the places most vulnerable to climate change. Climate change exacerbates existing gender inequities by increasing the risk of violence, jeopardizing human security and hindering everyday peacebuilding.
Columbia University’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program has worked for the past five years to address these issues, and supports everyday women peacebuilding efforts and climate work by increasing the visibility of grassroots African women activists through fellowships, research and workshops. This winter, the program hosted a global workshop for women activists and scholar-practitioners across 13 countries, marking the culmination of three months of vibrant virtual exchange. The WPS fellowship has supported women peacebuilders in Africa for the past three years by hosting fellowships that create collaborative spaces for sharing everyday peacebuilding strategies, facilitating an intracontinental network of grassroots women peace activists, and publicizing lessons learnt from their experiences.