Our Organization
The Ecowomanist C.I.R.C.L.E. (Center in Research, Climate Justice, Leadership, and the Environment) is a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to a vision of the world where environmental justice is inseparable from social justice; where the voices, lived experiences, and ecological wisdom of Indigenous and Black women and women of color are central to global environmental movements. Our work seeks to ensure that those most affected by environmental racism and climate change are empowered to lead the transformation toward planetary healing.
Our Name: The Ecowomanist C.I.R.C.L.E.
Our name reflects both our organizational focus and our values:
- Center in Research: We generate and amplify scholarship that centers marginalized perspectives
- Climate Justice: We address climate change through the lens of equity and human rights
- Leadership: We cultivate and support transformative leaders from frontline communities
- Environment: We work toward ecological healing and sustainable futures
The circle itself symbolizes wholeness, interconnection, and the cyclical nature of life and healing. It represents our commitment to inclusive, non-hierarchical approaches to organizing and our belief that everyone has a place in the work of planetary transformation.
Our Vision
We envision a world where:
- Frontline communities lead: Indigenous and Black women and women of color are recognized as the architects and leaders of global environmental movements, not merely participants or stakeholders
- Wisdom is honored: The lived experiences, ancestral knowledge, and ecological wisdom of marginalized communities are valued as essential—not supplementary—to understanding and addressing environmental crisis
- Justice is holistic: Environmental protection, climate action, racial equity, gender justice, and economic transformation are understood as interconnected struggles requiring interconnected solutions
- Healing is collective: Communities harmed by environmental racism and climate violence have access to the resources, support, and power needed to heal and thrive
- The earth is sacred: Humanity restores right relationship with the natural world, moving from extraction and domination to reciprocity and reverence
Why We Exist
Environmental racism and climate change disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and communities of color—particularly women, femmes, and gender-expansive people within these communities. Yet mainstream environmental movements have historically excluded, tokenized, or appropriated the voices and labor of those most affected.
We exist to disrupt this pattern. Our work is rooted in the understanding that:
- Those who bear the greatest burden of environmental harm also hold crucial knowledge about its causes and solutions
- Environmental degradation is not accidental but a direct result of colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism
- Meaningful climate action requires not just policy changes but fundamental transformation in how we relate to each other and the earth
- Women of color have always been environmental leaders, even when their contributions have been erased or undervalued
Our Commitment
We are committed to ensuring that those most affected by environmental racism and climate change are not just included in conversations about planetary healing—they lead them. Through our programs, partnerships, and advocacy, we:
- Center marginalized voices: We create platforms and pathways for Indigenous and Black women and women of color to shape environmental policy, research, and practice
- Invest in leadership: We provide resources, training, and support to cultivate a diverse generation of environmental justice leaders who reflect the communities they serve
- Bridge movements: We build solidarity across social justice movements, demonstrating that environmental protection cannot be separated from struggles for racial justice, gender equity, Indigenous sovereignty, and economic fairness
- Honor multiple ways of knowing: We validate and uplift Indigenous science, traditional ecological knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and community expertise alongside Western academic frameworks
What Makes Us Different
The Ecowomanist C.I.R.C.L.E. is not a traditional environmental organization. We:
- Start with people: While we care deeply about ecosystems and species, we recognize that environmental destruction and climate change are fundamentally issues of justice and human rights
- Lead with love, fierce compassion, and rage: We embrace both the fierce resistance required to confront injustice and the deep care and compassion needed to build transformative alternatives
- Practice what we preach: Our organizational structure, partnerships, and programs embody the principles of equity, collaboration, and mutual care that we seek to advance in the broader movement
- Integrate spirituality and activism: We recognize environmental work as sacred work, drawing on spiritual practices and ancestral wisdom to sustain and guide our efforts
- Think globally, organize locally: We connect local struggles to global systems while respecting the autonomy and leadership of community-based movements