Entering the third year of its mission, the Environmental Resilience Institute continues to facilitate Hoosiers’ resiliency in the face of the climate change crisis. Yet this year is like no other. Our conversations and research now cohere around a constellation of other crises as well.
The coronavirus pandemic and racial justice movement against police brutality have shown how environmental racism becomes manifest in compromised human health, social disruption, and economic impoverishment. The crisis of systemic racism and of COVID-19 have converged to reveal a "pandemic within a pandemic," as people of color are uniquely susceptible to three crises—police brutality, devastating unemployment, and the deadliest pandemic in over a century.
As we gather for our third annual ERI research symposium, we will hear from researchers and experts about how the pandemic and racial injustice have informed their work, and what lessons we might take from our current moment as we move forward with our commitment to resilience and building more just and healthier communities.
