Activists Around the World: Mikaela Loach

Today, we're spotlighting the work of climate activist, author and podcaster Mikaela Loach.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff.
I never told your prediction of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Happy twenty twenty six Black History Month. Everyone, it is
that time of year in the US, and we're going
to start our time featuring an amazing activist Arthur and
I think a former podcaster because I haven't seen any
new podcasts from her specific one since twenty twenty two,

(00:38):
but you know she's still part of that crew. To me,
once you're in there, you're always in there, am I right? Annie?

Speaker 1 (00:46):
I think so?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Okay? Anyway, So I'm talking about MICHAELA. Loach. Loach is
a British climate justice activist and many other things social
activists and organizer who's been using her voice, skills and
passion and fighting for the through different mediums to bring
awareness for human rights, social justice and climate justice as well,
all in one. She's all about that intersectional life and

(01:08):
she really does an amazing job in putting all of
that together and talking about why there are all interrelated,
which I think if you know anything about our podcast,
we absolutely hold to that and one can't be fixed
without the other needing to be fixed as well. So
moving on, So this is from her site Mikayla Loach
dot com. Quote Michaela's work is deeply rooted in community organizing.

(01:31):
Her activism includes organizing with grassroots climate movements such as
Stop Cambo, Fossil Free Books, Resist Glencore and the UK
Black Eco Feminist Collective, conducting workshops at international climate justice
camps and at local schools, one of which even named
a classroom after her, and delivering keynote speeches at various
events ranging from community gatherings to large institutions, and appearances

(01:54):
on national TV and in the press. And there's such
a great feature of Loach's work in the Guardian article
where they actually talk about her childhood, so I wanted
to kind of talk about that as well, because she
does mention this throughout her different interviews. Lochu's upbringing laid
the seats for her defining belief in the power of

(02:14):
incremental change. She was born in Kingston to a Jamaican
mother and British father, and the family moved to a
village in Surrey when she was two and a half.
Her mother now works in computer stuff and her dad
and pension stuff. What she with her gen Z perspective,
describes as conventional jobs that people have for many years.
Her family moved for the same reason as many people
who end up being part of the diaspora. Her parents

(02:36):
raised Loach and her younger brother to question the status quo,
armed with a breadth of historical knowledge not found in
UK texts or classrooms. So it's interesting because she does
talk about her family teaching her so much of her history,
things that you couldn't see or you wouldn't find in
a regular classroom, because we know they try to take
out all of the darkness when it comes to the

(02:58):
revolutions and war that happened, especially when it comes to colonialization,
and she talks about the fact that her father was
very adamant that they learn about these events, specifically for
her own history and for her lineage. So she also
talks in an interview with Channel four dot com, which
is a news program in the UK, she talks about
her experience watching devastating disasters like Tsunamis destroying lands and homes,

(03:23):
and her being challenged by her father about what she
might do to help, which led to her having a
bake sell at her school to raise money or those impacted.
And she did talk about how yes she was young,
and you know, it seemed kind of silly for some
maybe because children were having a bake sale, but it
really taught her about community and how other students came
together joined her in this event, and realizing that this

(03:44):
was a bigger thing and others wanted to help as well.
So with all that, she continued to organize and rally
others to help, including speaking and publishing her own works.
So she has published two books so far. Again, we're
actually gonna probably read one of these BT douves, so
get a you know, go ahead and get you the copy.
The first book she publish is It's Not that Radical

(04:07):
Climate Action to Transform Our World, which she did in
twenty twenty three, and then she also published Climate Is
Just the Start, and that was released last year, so
twenty twenty five. And here's a bit about her first
book from the Guardian dot com. And It's not that Radical.
Loach reframes the climate change debate, arguing that it requires
racial equality, a pathway to a better world for everyone,

(04:28):
regardless of class, color, where you live, or any other
stratification that currently shapes life. She wants everyone to know
that the climate crisis came from the systems of a
repression that caused people harm. Today they get beega one.
According to her, I do see it as a part
of my calling in this movement to make the diaspora
phil welcome, even though we didn't cause the crisis, and

(04:49):
it's not our fault. I think it's our responsibility because
we live in the core of the empire and in
the core of imperialism. Here we have a huge proximity
to power that our siblings on the African continent or
in Jamaica and all the Caribbeans don't have. So she
has talked in depth of the intersectionality of climate change
as well, calling out the imbalance of power and how
white supremacy and imperialism have welcomed and allowed for the climate

(05:12):
crisis to begin with. The Guardian continues saying both persist
today and need to be dismantled if climate justice a
better world for everybody is to be achieved. So from
another article from blogger Curious dot Earth, they talk about
the specific chapter from the book titled Beyond White Environmentalism,
saying this Loje expounds how white supremacy has not only

(05:34):
caused the climate crisis through colonialism, creating the blueprint for
the extra activism, exploitation, detachment from nature, devaluing of life,
and violence still employed by fossil fuel companies today, but
has also quote made our climate movements sick by exclusion
and silencing the voices of those most impacted by the
crisis through its manifestation in white environmentalism. They emphasize the

(05:58):
need for balance between the creation of SAT safe regenerative
organizing spaces for bipock people to mobilize together, and for
mainstream organizing spaces to diversify and become safer and more
anti racists. Again, really big statement. I think that says
a lot in what we talked about previously and how
environmentalism climate justice has to be inclusive and how that

(06:20):
has to be intersectional as well, and who we're bringing
at the table in this conversation. But with that, she
has also published our second book, which is actually a
children's book. So here's a descriptor from goodreads dot com.

(06:44):
Kids hear about the climate crisis pretty much every day
from their parents, from their teachers, on social media, and
in the news. There's no escaping it. Against they brought
her backdrop of social inequity and unfairness it's easy for
young people to feel a sense of doom about everything
and to feel powerless, and climate is just the start.
UK based climate activist MICHAELA. Loach offers her urgent and

(07:04):
inspiring messages for kids who want to stop the climate
crisis and start building a better world for everyone. Loach
explains the climate crisis and it's broader social implications through
personal stories about her activism journey. She writes about friends
from around the world who are experiencing the worst of
it today and about what they are doing to fight back.
She delivers a message of not only hope, but also

(07:27):
of excitement for the opportunity to create a sustainable future
for Earth and better lives for people in the process.
So that may be the book for this month. Listeners,
just a heads up. We'll see and yes she is
a woman of action. In twenty twenty three, she staged
a protest at the Edinburgh Book Fest for having fossil
fil companies as sponsors of the event. The Guardian again

(07:51):
covered this protest and they wrote this. She said to
the audience, I can't actually in good faith continue just
talking about these issues without doing something, especially given that
the festival is sponsored by an investment firm that is
bankrolling this climate crisis. In an emotional speech, the author said,
I think, especially recently, if you look across the world,

(08:14):
Maui is literally on fire, as we've seen right now.
So this was in twenty twenty three. Loach, who was
British and was born in Jamaica, added, I don't know
if my ancestral land will still be here if I
have children, or if I have descendants. The reason for
this is because of fossil fuel companies not caring about
the climate crisis, whether they say they do or not.
So we have to remove the finance from them, any

(08:35):
tactic that we can, we have to stop them from
being able to exist. So again, she has done so
much more. This is just one of the many events.
She has done, many more organizing and continues to do
much of our activism. She was a part of campaigns
with Climate Camp Scotland. She's been there to push back
against fast fashion and how they are unsustainable and so

(08:58):
much more. As we talked about early and one of
the things that she's also talked about has been continued
to hold onto herself as a what she says soft
black girl, talking about wanting to be able to be
still moved and compassionate about the things around her, allowing
her self to grieve and needed and being moved to action.
She even talks about wanting to wear pink because of

(09:19):
the stereotype that we hear for women who are in
charge or who are vocal about their activism, that oftentimes
they're being painted as aggressive, and she wants to move
away from that and to show her in herself. And
with all of that, she has many accolades under her belt,
including one of the most Influential Women in the Climate

(09:40):
Movement by Forbes and The Guardian and BBC Woman's Hour.
She was also featured as a world's Top thinker by
Prospect magazine. So yeah, she's doing a lot and continues
to do a lot, and I can't wait to see
more stuff from her.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yes, well, listeners, be on the lookout for our book
pick of the month. I'm very excited about it. I
think it'll be fun. And Yes, if you have any
thoughts about who we should cover next, any other resources,
we would love to get those from you. You can
email us at Hello at Stuffannever Told You dot com.

(10:19):
You can find us on Blue Scott mom Stuff podcast
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff. We Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have some merchandise at Coop Bureau,
and we have a book you can get wherever you
get your books. Thanks, It's always too our super produced Christina,
our executive Prus And and your contributor Joey.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
Thank you, Sorry.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
Always, thank you, and we love you. We're sorry and
thanks to you for listening. Stuff I Never Told You
is production by Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio,
you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.