For Some African American Residents, Climate Change Is But One of Many Priorities

MatthewTaub1

http://brooklynbrief.com/black-leaders-climate-change-lagging-priority/

“In the minds of most African Americans, there is not always a nexus between climate change and income inequality and other issues we care about,” said Richard Hurley, a lawyer and President of the Crown Heights Community Council. “Our concerns are more immediate and tangible. They involve landlords, developers, policing and disingenuous politicians.”

“Where does climate change rank on the list of problems and issues for our community?” wondered another local leader, Pastor Lloyd Allwood. One of the heads of Good Tidings Gospel Chapel in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the Pastor admitted difficulty giving the issue its proper attention.

“We know it’s important, we know it’s affecting us, but there are so many issues more immediately impacting our congregation,” Pastor Allwood admitted. His congregants, predominantly from the West Indies, “came to the city for a better life” but still struggle with more basic issues like adequate food, shelter, and education.

http://brooklynbrief.com/black-leaders-climate-change-lagging-priority/