April 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 30

SOCIAL EQUITY

Reinvigorating the Dialogue on
Conservation and Social Equity
By Viniece Jennings, Ph.D., and Na'Taki Osborne Jelks, Ph.D., MPH

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EVONNE BLYTHERS LAPSEY

Darryl Haddock, WAWA's director
of environmental education, talks to
children at the Outdoor Activity Center
in Southwest Atlanta.

ccording to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, conservation can
be defined as the " careful preservation and protection of something. " While the general dialogue on conservation has focused
on natural resources, conserving and enhancing the highest
expression of an inclusive and diverse social fabric are equally important.
Whether it's the tenants of the " beloved community " described by Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. or today's need for social equity, we are reminded that
places and the experiences that we have in them matter. This understanding
can also relate to our perception and value of parks and recreation. A recent
article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
(tinyurl.com/vafpg2r) describes the potential to enhance social cohesion and
public health through access and engagement in urban parks. Social cohesion has been defined in many ways, yet it often involves the interpersonal
dynamics, values and processes that support feelings of trust and belonging.
As you can imagine, the presence of positive social cohesion is tied to the
social ecosystem that we have or possess the potential to create.
In the words of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every-

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where. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in
a single garment of destiny. What-

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ever affects one directly, affects all
indirectly. " Hence, conserving the
tenants of social justice and equity
can be described as a moral imperative (tinyurl.com/v7mwe4g). As
natural systems have taught us the
interconnected dynamic of ecosystems, social systems that reflect justice and equity are critical to truly
reach a sustainable destiny.Quality
communities and the ability to stay
in them support the vision of social
equity. This mindset recognizes that
we are all part of a larger ecosystem
whose components are intricately
connected. Consequently, we cannot afford for social equity to be an
accessory in our environmental vision, it must be a critical
ingredient infused from the onset.

Seeing Communities
in a New Light
Many organizations are energizing
their communities through a social
equity lens and urban green spaces.
For example, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) (wawaonline.org/about) is grounded in a
mission to improve the quality of
life within the West Atlanta Watershed by protecting, preserving and
restoring its community's natural
resources. This Georgia communitybased organization was established
as result of community efforts to halt
discriminatory wastewater treatment

April 2020 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2020 - Parks & Recreation