By: 2021 National Fellow Tasha McCarter
Proposals like the Green New Deal call for public policy to address climate change along with achieving other social aims like job creation and reducing economic inequality. Although I hear quite a bit about Environmental Justice, I seldom hear about policy that will support the development of a diverse and skilled clean energy workforce. As a 10+ year veteran in the Solar Industry, I have witnessed tremendous growth in employment opportunities, but very few employees of color. This blog highlights a few ways that African Americans can be included in the Green Economy.
Then and Now
The crash of the US stock market in 1929 precipitated the most serious economic crisis in the nation’s history. Immediate suffering was triggered in the economically fragile African American community. The stimulus that followed this Great Depression was the US Federal Government’s largest transfer of wealth to its people. African Americans should have been significant beneficiaries of this “New Deal”. Instead, due to racism and inequitable distribution they benefited least.
Fast forward to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the U.S. economy to contract at its deepest pace since World War II, pushing millions of Americans out of work and into poverty. Many African Americans continue to reel from the economic fallout, with nearly 40 percent of African American adults living in households that have lost jobs or wages since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
The modern version of the “New Deal” is headed to the House for reconciliation. Missing from this 2021 US infrastructure bill is a comprehensive workforce development measure which would help dislocated workers, assist underserved groups, and put students on career paths before they graduate high school. Without this key workforce development component, how will this “New Deal” of the 2020’s result in anything different for African Americans than did the “New Deal” of the 1930’s?
The Green Economy is not the New Black
The 2021 US infrastructure bill includes $150 billion for investments in innovations that will fuel the Green Economy. Technologies that combine the renewable energy sector with artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of energy, and blockchain are poised for tremendous growth.
Meanwhile, African American workers are underrepresented across all energy technology sectors, with the proportion of these workers falling 2–5 percentage points lower than the national average. In the solar and wind sectors specifically, African American workers only account for 8 percent of the labor force — 4 percentage points below the national average. These disparities grow even larger among the people running clean energy companies. According to a 2019 industry report, U.S. solar firm executives are 80 percent male and almost 88 percent white.
Much like the “New Deal” of the 1930’s, the US Federal Government is expected to transfer a large amount of wealth to an industry that is comprised of predominantly White energy workers and decision makers. Without a workforce development mandate, one could extrapolate the potential outcome of racial inequalities, leading to widening gaps in employment, education and wealth between White and Black Americans.
Can lessons from history stop us from making the same old mistakes? The short answer is yes, the complicated answer is that it will take political will and proactive effort. Public-Private People Partnerships, if done right, can be used as an effective Mechanism for African American Employment in the Green Economy.
Raising Awareness and Increasing Access
According to a study performed by Educating for A Green Economy (EGE), employers revealed that those who can learn on the job, communicate well, have STEM-related technical skills, and possess an understanding of and commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship are in demand.
The HBCU pipeline
Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) are fertile ground and provide an on-ramp for freshly minted African American STEM, Finance, Business and other degree holders into Green Economy jobs.
A McKinsey study revealed HBCUs represent just 3 percent of all higher-education institutions in the United States, but 10 percent of all Black students matriculating through US colleges are enrolled at HBCUs. HBCUs have graduated 40 percent of all Black engineers; 40 percent of all Black US Congress members; 50 percent of all Black lawyers; and 80 percent of all Black judges.
Investment in programs designed to expose HBCU students to Green Economy opportunities, while cultivating the skills desired by employers in one path to gaining African American talent.
The CCC pipeline
The Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) initiative was signed into law through Executive Order by President Biden on January 27, 2021. The order lays out a plan to put 1.5 million Americans to work and give them the tools they need to build successful careers in the clean energy economy. Proponents of the new CCC see it as an organization that could partner with existing federal and state agencies to deliver manpower and resources to parts of the country where the need is greatest, while simultaneously offering opportunities to women and minorities from places that have suffered from environmental injustice.
The Civilian Climate Corps Initiative, once funded, has the potential to mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers and maximize the creation of accessible training opportunities and good jobs for non-college educated African Americans.
The Formerly Incarcerated pipeline
The Center for Sustainable Careers in Baltimore, Maryland, serves as a prime example of how to include formerly incarcerated people in the green economy. The Center recognizes that formerly incarcerated people face unique barriers to employment and need support in more than just acquiring technical skills. The Center provides students with things like bus passes, meals, and individualized case management to help support them overcome the barriers they face. They also help participants get their driver’s licenses reinstated and provide financial support to help trainees buy a vehicle, if needed. The Center does not have any educational requirements for its services.
Wrap around services for the formerly incarcerated is just as important as the job itself. Public-Private People Partnerships, if done right, can help to create a future for formerly incarcerated African Americans upon re-entry to our communities.
Facilitating Engagement & Retention
Many organizations have created diversity and inclusion programs in an attempt to recruit and retain more minorities, but the initiatives often fall short. The problem: These programs tend to focus on helping black employees fit into the status-quo culture, rather than eliminating systemic inequality within their organizations. Companies should focus on managing injustice, rather than “managing blackness”. Creating opportunities for people to bring their authentic selves to work boosts engagement and helps employees contribute more to the organization.
In summary, there are multiple ways that African Americans can be included and retained in the Green Economy. All it takes is the political will of various stakeholders within our community. I am very interested to see what the next 10-years will reveal.
