Be a part of Climate Justice Conversation's summit event and now five-year-long tradition, the 2024 Climate Justice Forum, an evening reception and speaker panel.
The night will start off with an opening reception filled with live music, food from Bé Ù, and mocktails. After grabbing some bites, the event will feature a panel between Aishah Abdala, Ayasha Guerin, Royal Ramey, and Emiliano Lopez. Look below for more information about our speakers.
Abolition ecology is a framework that seeks to challenge and transform the existing social and ecological systems that perpetuate exploitation, oppression, and environmental degradation. It combines principles of environmental justice, social justice, and decolonization with an explicit focus on dismantling systems of power and control that perpetuate ecological harm. The ultimate goal of abolition ecology is to liberate people and the places where they live, work, learn, pray and play. The term "abolition" in abolition ecology refers to the notion of abolitionist movements that have historically sought to dismantle oppressive systems, such as slavery and the prison-industrial complex. In the context of ecology, it calls for the abolition of ecologically destructive practices, such as industrial agriculture, extractive industries, and the exploitation of natural resources for profit. It also calls for the abolition of oppressive social structures and hierarchies that perpetuate environmental injustices.
The goals of the Climate Justice Forum are to...
The night will start off with an opening reception filled with live music, food from Bé Ù, and mocktails. After grabbing some bites, the event will feature a panel between Aishah Abdala, Ayasha Guerin, Royal Ramey, and Emiliano Lopez. Look below for more information about our speakers.
Abolition ecology is a framework that seeks to challenge and transform the existing social and ecological systems that perpetuate exploitation, oppression, and environmental degradation. It combines principles of environmental justice, social justice, and decolonization with an explicit focus on dismantling systems of power and control that perpetuate ecological harm. The ultimate goal of abolition ecology is to liberate people and the places where they live, work, learn, pray and play. The term "abolition" in abolition ecology refers to the notion of abolitionist movements that have historically sought to dismantle oppressive systems, such as slavery and the prison-industrial complex. In the context of ecology, it calls for the abolition of ecologically destructive practices, such as industrial agriculture, extractive industries, and the exploitation of natural resources for profit. It also calls for the abolition of oppressive social structures and hierarchies that perpetuate environmental injustices.
The goals of the Climate Justice Forum are to...
- Raise awareness about the contributions that people of color have made to the environmental sustainability movement;
- Reframe conceptions of disadvantaged/vulnerable communities;
- Stimulate critical dialogue about environmental racism and injustice issues and climate resilience at UCLA and beyond.
Our Speakers
Aishah AbdalaAishah Abdala (they/she) was border-town raised with the privilege of growing up in both Tijuana, B.C. and San Ysidro, CA. Aishah’s experience as a fronteriza led them to dedicate their time and service to understanding health as a social effect and institution, and abolition as a process of regeneration towards community-led systems change. While pursuing her undergraduate and masters degrees, Aishah was committed to challenging their learning to go beyond the lecture halls, question the status quo, and stand in solidarity with impacted communities. Aishah leverages her experiences in capacity-building initiatives that uplift grassroots efforts for health equity and providing therapeutic services in carceral systems to achieve the fact that ‘another world is possible’. Aishah is now a project manager for T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s Community Land Trust, aiming to disrupt the speculative housing market, achieve the stabilization of South LA neighborhoods, and nurture community-led development and stewardship. Royal RameyChief Royal Ramey (he/him) is the Co-Founder and Interim CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP). While incarcerated, Royal went to Fire Camp and fell in love with being a wildland firefighter. He founded FFRP to help individuals who are formerly incarcerated and worked in fire camps overcome the barriers that prevent them from entering the professional field of fire fighting. Royal has spent more than ten years as a wildland firefighter in the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and as part of the Buffalos Handcrew for FFRP. He is intensely aware of what is needed to train individuals to excel at an advanced level within the forestry and fire sector. FFRP’s placement of more than 200 people directly into this sector speaks to his accomplishments and work ethic. In 2022, Royal received a Pardon from Governor Gavin Newsom on behalf of the State of California. |
Ayasha GuerinDr. Ayasha Guerin (they/she) is assistant professor of intersectionality and practice-based research and media making in the department of World Arts & Cultures/ Dance at UCLA. They are an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose research and creative practices center socio-ecological histories, connecting human and animal experience through questions of relational reciprocity, and are a founding member of the Berlin-based research collective, curating through conflict with care (CCC), which uses conflict and contradiction as a methodology for identifying and revealing the paradoxes of inclusive curating. In 2023 they founded the Liberated Planet Studio, for artists and activists interested in ecological research and somatic experiments to mobilize discourse about the intersections of environmental and social exploitation. Emiliano LopezEmiliano López (he/him) was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He currently works as Communications Manager for Initiate Justice Action, mobilizing the political power of people impacted by incarceration to advance progressive policies. He is also the founder of Project Protocol, an innovative app designed to empower individuals on parole by providing a platform to rate and review their parole officers. Emiliano has harnessed his experiences through the carceral system to catalyze a vision of transparency and accountability. This initiative complements his role as the Board Chair of Creative Acts, a nonprofit that seeks to transform urgent social justice issues through the revolutionary power of the Arts to heal trauma, build community, raise power, and center the voices of those who are or have been incarcerated. Emiliano is a street photographer in his spare time, allowing him to capture the vibrance of urban life and the essence of human experience through his lens. His work exemplifies the intersection of technology, art, and activism, utilizing his diverse talents to effect change. |
Moderator: Farah Hamouda
Farah Hamouda (she/her) is a Palestinian American, who is committed to Palestinian liberation. Currently, she is pursuing Ph.D. in Sociology with research interests in environmental justice, Middle Eastern studies, political sociology, indigeneity, and state violence. Her recent work at the intersection of environmental sociology and social control uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including media analysis. Farah received her B.S. in Sociology and minor in Political Science from the University of Utah in 2021.