The Civil Rights Movement, and expanding the boundaries of environmental justice in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1960-1999 : oral history transcript / 2003

152 Pages·2003·3.5 MB·English

by  Anthony, Carl. ive

BANG
MSS
2004/136
UniversityofCalifornia Berkeley

Regional Oral History Office University of California
The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California
Environmental Justice and Grassroots Environmentalist!!
in the San Francisco Bay Area
Carl Anthony
The Civil Rights Movement, and Expanding the Boundaries
of Environmental Justice in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1960-1999
With an Introduction by
Luke W. Cole
Interviews Conducted by
Carl Wilmsen
in 1999
Copyright 2003 by The Regents of the University of California
Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading
participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of
northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral history is a method of
collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a
narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-
informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the
historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for
continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected
manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and
placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in
other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material,
oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete
narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in
response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved,
and irreplaceable.
************************************
All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement
between The Regents of the University of California and Carl Anthony
dated July 22, 1999. The manuscript is thereby made available for
research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including
the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the
University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may
be quoted for publication without the written permission of the
Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California,
Berkeley.
Requests for permission to quote for publication should be
addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Bancroft Library,
Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000, and
should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted,
anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user.
It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows:
Carl Anthony, "The Civil Rights Movement,
and Expanding the Boundaries of
Environmental Justice in the San Francisco
Bay Area, 1960-1999," an oral history
conducted in 1999 by Carl Wilmsen,
Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft
Library, University of California,
Berkeley, 2003.
Copy no.
The Environmental Justice and Grassroots Environmentalism
in the San Francisco Bay Area Oral Histories have been funded by
the Flora Lamson Hewlett Fund of The Bancroft Library.

TABLE OF CONTENTS--Carl Anthony
INTRODUCTION i
INTERVIEW HISTORY v
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION viii
Continuities with the Past: Parents, a Great Uncle, and Connections
to the Land
1
Childhood influences: Hard Work, Father s High Expectations, and an
Interest in the Abstract 8
High School, Running Away, and a Trip to the South, 1956 12
Studying Architecture at Columbia, and involvement in the
Civil Rights Movement, 1960-1969 14
The Community Design Movement 17
Relationships 19
Exploring the Sahel in a Volkswagen Bus, 1969-1970 21
University of California at Berkeley, 1971-1979: Teaching
Architecture, and Researching Nineteenth Century
African-American Experience 24
Encountering Environmentalists in City Planning Work 27
Starting the Urban Habitat Program and the Race, Poverty, and the
Environment Newsletter, 1989 30
Roots: Encounters Between Europeans, Africans, Native Americans,
and the Ecology of North America 34
Origins of the Urban Habitat Program: The Need to Reconcile
Environmentalism and Social Justice 38
Joining the Board of Earth Island Institute, 1988 42
Fund-raising for the Urban Habitat Program 45
David Brower, and the Strengths and Weaknesses of Earth Island
Institute s Structure 48
Integrating Social Justice and Environmental Issues 51
Northern New Mexico Forest Management Controversy Brings
Social Justice and Environmental Issues into Sharp relief 54
Leaving Earth Island Institute Due to Lack of Support for
Integrating Social Justice and Environmental Issues, 1997 58
The Need for a "Working Landscape Model" of Commercial Activity 62
Deep Ecology, Equality, and Empathy 64
The First People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, 1991 69
President Clinton s Executive Order on Environmental Justice,
1994: The Need for a Broader Focus 72
The Social and Environmental Consequences of Squandering Urban Land 75
Overcoming the Apartheid of Consciousness: Strategic Opportunity
for Smart Growth 79
Managing Many Environmental Projects as President of Earth Island
Institute 84
Reflections on Current Relations between Environmental Justice
and Established Environmental Groups 87
Creating a New Culture to Systematically Confront Environmental
and Social Justice Challenges 93
Creating a New Culture Of Tolerance 99
Raising Consciousness about Human Ecological Relationships 103
Working toward Sustainable Communities, and Service on Numerous Boards 107
Colleagues in the Movement, and Some Closing Remarks 111
TAPE GUIDE 116
INDEX 117