Racial-Gender Disparities, and the Impacts of Coloniality in Ocean Science on BIPOC Women
Racial-gender equity and the health of the environment, including the ocean, are inextricably linked, as effective solutions cannot be found without equally valuing all voices and forms of knowledge. This mutual dependency between human populations and ocean health highlights the need to investigate and resolve longstanding inequities.
We can no longer afford to ignore the people most impacted by climate change from both participating in and co-designing its solutions. Doing this requires recognition that the continued oppression and exclusion of women in ocean science who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) hinders our collective ability to solve global challenges.
I co-wrote this chapter with Alvine Datchoua-Tirvaudey and Angela Martin in the book “The Ocean and Us,” and we invite you to dive into how BIPOC women's voices make a difference to our global survival by contributing to ocean health and providing solutions to climate change, the struggles they face along the way, and how to address these visible and invisible barriers.
Read the chapter here!
This book is a one-stop-shop of the main issues facing the ocean today and is exclusively written by women experts, providing new perspectives and solutions.
More About “The Ocean and Us”
The Ocean and Us provides an overview of our contemporary understanding of the ocean and all the ways our lives interact with it. It is intended for everyone with an interest in our blue planet. The book brings together the expertise of over 35 ocean specialists from around the world. It explores a wide variety of themes including the importance of a healthy ocean in the fight to halt and contain climate change.
It covers issues such as overfishing and pollution, as well as emerging themes such as the blue economy, marine animal welfare and how we can leverage innovation to protect the ocean. The book provides an overview of some of the world’s iconic threatened and at risk ocean ecosystems, and outlines current governance structures and ocean management tools. It also discusses the important social dimensions between people and the ocean, such as ocean and human wellbeing, communities and the ocean, and who gets to participate in the ocean space.
The book aims to enhance ocean literacy by making specialist concepts accessible to non-experts, with a view to empowering concerned citizens everywhere to come into action for the ocean, and pave a better way forward for humanity.
