ABSTRACT
This chapter draws inspiration from the work of two iconic racial justice activists, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., arguing that they have much to teach the 21st century environmental movement. Both men advocated and participated in radical action for social change, and so they challenge any interpretation of ambiguity or uncertainty that would justify inaction or complacency. And yet King demonstrates an activism fueled by hope that is much richer and more ambiguous than simplistic optimism, demonstrating an ethics based upon uncertainty as well as faith. X demonstrates a profound commitment to the truth that refuses to seek simple answers when reality is complicated, laying out a pragmatic and critical method that rejects simple narratives of progress. These two figures, who had strategic disagreements with one another but shared a remarkably similar vision, provide a model for environmental ethics that embraces diversity but still aspires to constructive, realistic hope for the future.
