Racism and Climate Change Are About You | Dr. Atyia Martin | TEDxDirigo

Climate change effects us all, but it doesn’t effect us equally. In this thorough talk, Dr. Martin examines the intersections of climate change and racism, from who’s at the table during policymaking, to which communities are effected by natural disasters, and which receive resources first. Incorporating multidisciplinary data and research, Dr. Martin proposes ways for us to scrutinize bias in ourselves, our workplaces, and our social groups. Dr. Atyia Martin is a Certified Emergency Manager with a diverse set of experiences in public health, emergency management, intelligence, and homeland security. Mayor Martin Walsh appointed her as the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Boston as part of the 100 Resilient Cities initiative pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for leading the development and implementation of Boston’s Resilience Strategy. Boston will focus on advancing racial equity as the foundation of the Resilience Strategy process.

Dr. Martin has served as adjunct faculty in the Master of Homeland Security at Northeastern University. She was previously the Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness at the Boston Public Health Commission. Her previous professional experience includes the Boston Police Department’s Boston Regional Intelligence Center; City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management; the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI); and active duty Air Force assigned to the National Security Agency. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.