The latest All Our Yesterdays interview, with Leon/@AkanKwaku, who definitely deserves a follow from you. Here’s his profile pick and his Twitter banner is to die for (see foot of this post!)
1) Who are you (where born, where grew up) and when did you start thinking “hmm environmental problems are here and getting worse”
My name is Leon, born and raised in Birmingham minus the accent, in a place called Handsworth. I first started thinking about environmental problems when I was quite young, probable aged 8-9. I think for me it started when I moved to Sweden back in 2007, children are taught from an early age about the importance of the environment, recycling is seen as a resource not rubbish.
2) Obviously environmental problems do not exist in isolation – how do you think they tie with other questions – inequality and, especially, racial injustice and oppression? What are some of your favourite thinkers and doers on these questions?
Everything is linked if you look at the parts of the earth which are left in a deliberate underdeveloped state. These are often countries which has majority black and brown populations, they are resource rich, western companies and governments have not interest in helping these countries to become modern, this will then increase the costs they now access the resources they want.
3) If you could have the undivided attention of everyone who says they are concerned about climate change, for just a couple of minutes, what would you say?
Discussions around regulating the media, make them accountable.
Make politicians accountable
Reform police and discuss ending the friendly relationship between them and politicians.
I would discuss the dismantling and reforming the political, economic and legislative landscape
4) What are, in your opinion, the biggest barriers to closer and better collaboration between people of good will who are coming from different places (race, class, gender, able-bodied status, age – you choose which)? Can you point to good work being done to bridge these barriers that deserves a shout-out and could be replicated/enlarged?
Education alone isn’t enough, we need to rid ourselves and private schools, fund all schools adequately, training and skill based jobs and ensure people from disadvantaged backgrounds get an opportunity to access some of the best positions in society
5) What next for you?
I have built a 15k following on Twitter by calling out this government’s hypocrisy, maybe a video blog, podcast?
6) Anything else you’d like to say.
We need serious change, we need people who not scared to speak the truth.
And that Twitter banner –
