New Village Press is releasing the second of AWTT’s themed portrait book series – Portraits of Earth Justice – on September 20, 2022.

From the publisher: ” . . . The crisis of climate change and environmental degradation is the greatest crisis humanity has ever confronted, and the people in this book diagnose the truth of the problem and point a way forward. Besides the inspiring portraits, seminal quotes, and profiles, the book features original essays by Bill McKibben, Leah Penniman, Diane Wilson, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Bill Bigelow, as well as Robert Shetterly’s moving preface.”

“Americans Who Tell the Truth offers much-needed rays of hope in times made dark by the climate crisis and deep inequality. It provides uplifting portraits, both verbal and pictorial, of courageous activists who have devoted their lives to the fight for climate justice.”
—David M. Driesen, University Professor, Syracuse University College of Law

Pre-order copies of Earth Justice here.

As excitement over the book builds – and break throughs on national climate policy emerge – we checked in on a few of the eco-warriors who contributed essays for the book. Their latest stories never disappoint.

Diane Wilson

Although Diane Wilson has been telling her own story for many years, in her own distinctive style, she has now become the subject of someone else’s telling. Released by Penquin Random House last month, The Fisherman and the Dragon, by Kirk Wallace Johnson, chronicles Wilson’s fight against Formosa and the role of immigrant Vietnamese fisherman – and others – in that struggle. George Packer writes: “Riveting…it has a little of everything that a thrilling story needs.  It feels quite prescient, as if something we’re living out now, you can see scenes of it then.  A gripping book that deserves a wide readership.” And Library Journal says: “Two stories interweave, collide, and ripple for more than 40 years, and Johnson’s thorough, diligent research and brisk storytelling make this narrative compelling for those seeking thrills or truths. Recommended for readers interested in environmental or racial justice and the power of activism.”

Still fighting every day for the health of the ocean, Wilson and her organization San Antonio Estuarine Bay Waterkeeper are now involved with suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its proposal to dredge the Matagorda Bay shipping channel.

Bill McKibben

It’s hard to keep track of this man. Just google him yourself . . . any day, any week, any month. He’s everywhere at once. It seems that the tide is turning – perhaps too little too late, perhaps not – and everyone wants to be on Bill McKibben‘s radar.

Last week, in Rolling Stone‘s article about California’s phased-in ban on the sale of gas cars, he’s quoted: “Start thinking now . . . if you buy a new gas car will it have any resale value?” And how many dozens of times has his July 2022 piece “Zeitgeist Matters” been quoted already? Activist climate leaders will continue to face many painful struggles. But, sometimes, the clouds part and the light shines through, and, at that moment, the long slog doesn’t feel quite so lonely.

Thanks, Bill McKibben.

Leah Penniman

This ground-breaking farmer continues to attract attention and spread innovation. If you want to take a deeper dive into some recent developments at Soul Fire Farm, here’s a nicely illustrated Atmos article featuring two young members of the evolving enterprise: education coordinator Danielle Peláez and business manager Azuré Keahi.

Reflecting on his role at the Farm, Keahi states,“All revolutions are based on land. It was that first step of reconnection that fuels my commitment to doing more to heal the land, to heal ourselves.”

Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm applying ancestral wisdom to reclaim agency in food production and land stewardship.