Today’s episode looks at the term ‘environmental justice’, its meaning historically, and the shift to calling it what it truly is - ‘environmental racism’. Dr. Ingrid Waldron is the author of the award-winning book “There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities”. It is also a Netflix documentary of the same name, co-produced by Waldron, actor Elliot Page, Ian Daniel, and Julia Sanderson, and directed by Page and Daniel. Dr. Waldronjoins Marion and Dani to look at the legacy of environmental racism and its health impacts in Indigenous and Black communities in Canada, focusing on the grassroots resistance activities by Indigenous and Black communities against the pollution and poisoning of their communities in Nova Scotia. The environmental justice narrative there fails to make race explicit, obscuring it within discussions on class. This mutes the specificity of Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian experiences with racism and environmental hazards. They discuss how the effects of environmental racism are compounded by other forms of oppression to further dehumanize and harm communities already dealing with pre-existing vulnerabilities, such as long-standing social and economic inequality. This is not a thing of the past. This is happening now. The past IS the present. As always, please take care of yourselves and if you need to, make use of the resources listed on our podcast main page.
ABOUT Dr. Ingris Waldron:
Dr. Ingrid Waldron (MA, University of London; PhD, University of Toronto) is the HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University. She teaches Peace, Environment and Health and Race, Place & Geographies of Violence in Indigenous & Black Communities (Special Topics Course) in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities. She also teaches Social Justice Perspectives on Gender and Health in the Gender Studies and Feminist Research Graduate Program in the Faculty of Humanities. Dr. Waldron’s research interests focus on ecological violence and the structural determinants of health. She is Founder and Director of The Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project), which inspired the federal private members bill - a National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice (Bill C-230) – approved in 2021. She also co-founded the Anti-Environmental Racism Coalition, which has brought together organizations in the environment and climate change sector across Canada to collaborate on projects and share expertise and resources to address environmental racism and climate change inequities in Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities in Canada. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors at Research Canada.
Episode-Relevant Links:
*****CONTENT WARNING*****
Each episode of this podcast touches on subjects related to trauma, misogyny, racism, medical racism, sexual misconduct, Residential Schools, as well as many aspects of death and dying. Self-care is our priority, and we ask that you please take care as you listen, step away for a break when you need to, and use the resources below for support.
Mental Health Support Resources:
First Nations Health Authority (BC), Toll-free: 1-866-913-0033,
info@fnha.ca
MAiD Resources:
Grief & Loss Support Resources:
Residential School Support Resources:
What is Before I Go?
ABOUT BEFORE I GO…Embracing the Journey of MAiD:
“Death is not an ending but a change of worlds.” Indigenous nations have a long history with ceremony and tradition around death. A member of the Gitxaala Nation in BC, Marion Brown has Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). PH is a chronic progressive condition that will, as with other members of her family, eventually take her life. And so, Marion has made the decision to use the MAiD program when she feels the time is appropriate. An experienced documentary producer and interviewer in her own right, Marion will turn the microphone around on herself. Along with family and many professional experts, she and her daughter Danielle will share this extraordinary journey with you.
By openly discussing the experience of choosing medical assisted dying through an Indigenous lens, along with wisdom and stories – about family & ancestors, history & trauma, healing & love – Marion and Dani hope that their journey will provide unique and thoughtful perspectives, encourage your own conversations with those close to you, and perhaps provide some comfort. After all, living & dying are the human experiences we all share. Join us bi-weekly for some of the most profound and thought-provoking conversations of a lifetime.
*****CONTENT WARNING*****
Each episode of this podcast touches on subjects related to trauma, misogyny, racism, medical racism, sexual misconduct, Residential Schools, as well as many aspects of death and dying. Self-care is our priority, and we ask that you please take care as you listen, step away for a break when you need to, and use the resources below for support.
*****RESOURCES*****
Mental Health Support Resources:
https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/ , 24/7 telephone: 1-855-242-3310, Online chat
NIHB Mental Health Services regional office
First Nations Health Authority (BC), Toll-free: 1-866-913-0033, info@fnha.ca
MAiD Resources:
https://www.fnha.ca/what-we-do/healthy-living/end-of-life-journey/medical-assistance-in-dying
Centre for Education and Research on Aging
https://nctr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/When-the-Time-Comes-Final-Edit-and-Format3510-march-24.pdf
https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/blog/reclaiming-cultural-teachings-about-mortality-grief-loss-death-and-dying/
https://endoflifedoulaassociation.org/doula-list-maid/
https://camapcanada.ca/
https://abo-peoples.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CAP-2024-FinalReport-PEOLC-MAID_WEB_EN-.pdf
Grief & Loss Support Resources:
https://www.beendigen.com/programs/talk4healing/
https://www.hospicenorthwest.ca/services/outreach-program/
https://lumarasociety.org/indigenouswellness/ , 1-866-9LUMARA, info@lumarasociety.org
https://livingmyculture.ca/
Indigenous Books on Grief and Loss:https://www.strongnations.com/store/item_list.php?it=1&cat=3027
Residential School Support Resources:
https://www.irsss.ca/ , 1-800-721-0066 for Survivors and Their Families
https://nctr.ca/contact/survivors/ , The National Residential School Crisis Line 1-866-925-4419