Legacy of Judi Bari

Half-measures and political equivocation were never the hallmark of Judi Bari.

We all know that.

I never really knew Judi myself, though I was introduced a couple of times, the first time late in Redwood Summer. Clearly she was not the only person who had influence on me, but definitely Judi Bari had an impact on the development of my personal and political philosophies.

Because of that influence, it seems timely to share some thoughts, as the North Coast of California, the bioregion that Judi Bari called home, is facing profound challenges. These challenges are threatening not only the natural landscapes we treasure. The rhetorical and messaging substance of these challenges also put at risk our understanding of the politics and power structures in which we live. Which then endangers our ability to influence outcomes, leaving us at the mercy of what is increasingly a predatory economic system.

Judi would be astounded at the degree to which extractive industry and the states largest landowners have successfully co-opted the symbolism, the language and even, in too many cases, the people of what was known as the environmental movement.

As many look back in history, fondly recognizing the significance of the political innovation inherent in Judi Bari’s legacy, slapping each other on the back with radical sentimentality, the larger question looking forward, as local and global environmental and political stresses amplify and intensify, is:

Will more North Coast activists step up their game? 

Props and gratitude to the crews that are taking the social and political risks that are characteristic of action that promotes real change. We are speaking of the individuals who are taking chances and getting in the way of business as usual. This includes finding the political pressure points that make the powerful uncomfortable. These are the local activists that need our support. We don’t need to share fotos of the climate glitterati that are public relations tools of green economy social engineering, clamoring for some ambiguous action that is vague on specifics. We know who it is that is fighting to expose greenwashing, to protect pubic health, to keep trees standing, and to keep fossil fuels in the ground, among many still relevant actions. We have limited resources, we must support those who are truly on the frontlines. And especially those who are not taking money from the corporations that are causing the damage.

Certainly in 2019 no one and no organization on the North Coast should be leveraging the legacy of Judi Bari for fundraising while at the same time failing to clearly and stridently identify the threats to natural and human communities embedded in the multiple False Solutions of green capitalism being thrust upon the Redwood Region.

Though it is truly impossible to know what Judi would say today, it is a worthy exercise to ponder just what she would say, and how she would say it, when bringing up her history and influence on our movement. Anyone who invokes the name of Judi Bari in 2019 needs to look in the mirror and ask themselves: what position would Judi take on the most pressing issues on today’s North Coast, such as carbon trading and utility scale energy development? What would Judi Bari say about one of the owners of Humboldt Redwood Company being a board director of the corporate green organization Conservation International while pushing forward the logging of Rainbow Ridge? What about a Democratic Party that takes campaign money from Big Oil and Big Timber and Big Ag?

Would she say something that would challenge economic assumptions and existing power and class structures? Would Judi Bari be afraid of offending status-quo social sensibilities about what it might take to begin healing our relationship to the land, about reasserting our relationship to our government and about standing up to the corporations that we shouldn’t allow to control our lives and communities?

Again, it is impossible to know for sure what she would say. This is clearly a hypothetical exercise. But it is relevant, in that we must be true to the spirit of those people who inspired us, and be true to what is the essence of that inspiration.

Fundamentally, to respect and honor the legacy of Judi Bari we must ask ourselves how we ourselves are handling these questions before we invoke her name.

Viva Judi Bari!

Viva wild Earth!

Environmental justice is social justice!