When Kidus Girma moved from Ethiopia to Dallas as a child, his family settled in Vickery Meadow. The neighborhood is home to a working-class immigrant and refugee enclave. Like many urban areas, Dallas’ population is deeply segregated by race and class. Its green spaces are segregated too: Research shows that they tend to be concentrated in wealthier, whiter parts of town where temperatures can be nearly 4 degrees Celsius thanks to tree coverage.
Girma, now 26, is part of the Sunrise Movement, a national, youth-led climate campaign that centers its activism on people. He doesn’t consider himself a traditional environmentalist—he’s less interested in saving trees or polar bears for the sake of nature—instead, he’s interested in communities like the one he grew up in.
“People usually think of [climate change as] disasters, but it’s a slow-burn. Slightly hotter summers means slightly higher electric bills.” A city’s placement of parks or parking lots isn’t just a zoning issue, it’s an environmental issue that impacts the quality of life for nearby residents.
