The recent Climate Justice Symposium: Exploring Feminist Interventions and Possibilities, held at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, on September 20-21st, brought together an inspiring mix of scholars, artists, students, activists, and professionals. The event aimed to galvanize participants into courageous conversations and action against the climate crisis, while exploring the vital intersections of social identity, race/ethnicity, sexuality and gender, and environmental justice.

Keynote speakers included Professor of Environmental Justice at Yale University, Dr. Dorceta Taylor, and Jacqueline Patterson, Found and Executive Director of Chisholm Legacy Project. Standouts from the symposium included Meghan Elizabeth Kallman, Rhode Island State Senator, on the topic of “The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change” and Luisa Neubauer, German climate activist.
Students from Williams College attended the Symposium on Saturday, September 21st. See below for their reflections from the event:
“The climate justice symposium this past Saturday was a greatly influential experience for me. I have taken a few environmental courses during my time here at Williams, some policy-oriented, some more scientifically geared, but few really blend the two. Going to the conference and seeing the intersection between socially conscious and justice-oriented science was refreshing to see, especially since the research that I have been accustomed to has an emphasis on removing itself from the sociopolitical contexts in which it would actually be applied. The event exposed to me many new radical concepts like ‘climate debt’ and different applications of justice, putting quantitative and qualitative character behind the often nebulous notion of reparations. The variety of research on display was also incredible to bear witness to and seeing the various fronts that climate justice could be fought on has instilled some hope within me for a better immediate future. My first two sessions of the day were research showcases, and were what brought me to these conclusions, but my last session of the day, focusing on how to incorporate rest into the climate justice paradigm. I had always been a bit hesitant to encompass rest as revolutionary – and white I still do not – the speaker gave a lot of insight into how rest should be viewed in terms of being a subject under a capitalist system. All in all, this symposium was incredibly stimulating, and I would love to attend more events of the same vein this year.”
- Uhart Bradnock ‘27
“Oftentimes, we are told to look at climate change through a highly detached intellectual lens, focusing coldly on statistics to a plethora of staggering and heartbreaking issues and rationalizing solutions. The CJ Symposium at Smith provided refreshing perspectives that broke out of this lens through insightful and heart-centered approaches to climate justice. Speakers unpacked a range of topics from the contribution of imperialism and patriarchy in the creation and perpetuation of the climate crisis, to possible solutions to systemic environmental injustice. One workshop even unpacked how to use resting as a vital tool for empowerment and restoration as an environmental advocate. Overall, the symposium’s speakers provided a rich and diverse discussion of the climate movement.”
- Chiara Armand ‘26

As the Symposium wrapped up, participants left not only with fresh insights but also a revitalized sense of purpose. The dynamic discussions illuminated how deeply interdisciplinary environmental advocacy truly is, emphasizing that our fight for climate justice must include all voices.
Alex Martone, ZCE Sustainability Coordinator