Confronting my privilege in access to land
As spring is in full-bloom, I have been reflecting on my privileges as a white woman with access to nature that I would like to share with you.
I am sitting outside my owned home that is surrounded by forest and wildlife, resting as I just got in from a hike with my dog from the walking trails in my backyard.
Gosh is that statement loaded with privilege!
And I take these privileges for granted daily.
It’s important for me to reflect on these privileges, and I know for a lot of folks who look like me, the word “privilege” itself can trigger some resentment, fear, anger, etc.
To say I have privilege isn’t to say that I haven’t experienced trauma in my life, that I haven’t been wronged, that I don’t work for access to my home, or that life hasn’t been hard. It’s the opposite - acknowledging my privilege is to feel grateful for what I have, with that added layer of knowing that what I have (whether I recognize that or not), also came at the expense of someone else’s suffering, and/or is something that other people would also want to have, but due to societal barriers like redlining, they cannot.
Whew. Hard stuff. But good stuff right? There is no growth without a little discomfort. So for my fellow white privileged folks reading, hang in there with me if you can.
The first time I recognized my privileged access to land was when I was interning for the Connecticut Center for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) in Bridgeport (for anyone not familiar - check out their amazing work in creating a recovery community by visiting their website HERE).
I was chatting with center members who were sharing their struggles in managing their stress as they grappled with their newly found recovery. Naive me shared, “why don’t you try going for a walk in the woods? There’s a great path nearby in Trumbull.” The person responded, “I’ve never seen woods before. I would have to take the bus to get there though.”
It shocked me. Forests, and access to nature were the grounding points in my life. I couldn’t imagine never knowing, hearing, feeling what being in the woods was like. My nervous system needs it to feel balanced & safe.
And then to learn how it would take hours to go just a few miles over a town border, paying way too much for a bus fare, and then to struggle with 1) being in a new really stimulating environment like the forest and 2) needing to assess your safety - not just because of wildlife, but also because of people may judge you and seek to cause you harm based on the color of your skin.
It was a pivotal point in my life to see how my whiteness, financial privileges, and land access were all intertwined. I often remember that conversation from 10 years ago on days like today as I sit listening to the birds and the wind blowing through the trees.
Access to nature should not be this challenging, but should be considered a basic need, and there is emerging science to back it up. The Biophelia hypothesis is part of a growing literature base supporting that the lack of exposure and immersion into nature can have large impacts on our emotional well-being.
Also note - the need to have science to “back up” the benefits of nature is a colonized belief system. Scientific studies aren’t the only way of knowing something is true.
Addressing this inequitable access to nature is one of our fundamental missions here at SGS. We believe trauma healing cannot happen for people unless we acknowledge that community access to nature is necessary for our collective well-being.
With that, we aim to steward land in the New Haven area to create a space that is financially and culturally welcoming to all community members to engage with the land in ways that feels healing for them.
We also know that this creation of a healing ecosystem for communities cannot happen without the recognition of the traumas that have happened & are currently still happening to Indigenous communities to whom the land that we stand upon was violently stolen from, and that land-based trauma is still very much present to other racialized and financially oppressed communities.
To do this, we hope to build and share educational opportunities that are rooted in trauma-informed principles. We wish to educate on these historical and active traumas not to shame, but to open doors for people to grow in empathy & community connections.
Want to see this vision come to life? Join us by:
🌳 Supporting our efforts to build our financial capacity. Helping us connect to individuals and community networks with philanthropic interests that align with our values is just as important as donations.
🌳 Securing land to begin our work. Know of someone who has access to land within the New Haven vicinity that is in need of a steward? We have found that land access is often rooted in social capital. Help us grow ours.
🌳 Expand our community visibility. Do you have social networks that you can share our content within? With each new share, our network grows. We can’t possibly reach everyone on our own - we need you for that!
Here at SGS we believe in the collective power that comes from building community, and are deeply grateful for you being here. We look forward to continued growth with you, and stay tuned on our social media pages for continued updates from us!
All Our Love,
Nicole and the SGS Team
