Being part of the millennial age of the modern day, I’m definitely no stranger to social media and its perks. Though I am not “tech-savvy” per say, I know how to navigate different sites and apps that allow me access to various discussions that take place between like-minded individuals across the globe. It has become a staple for my routine to check my messaging apps and the blog posts on my Tumblr dashboard to see what is being debated. Although I have seen my fair share of negative responses and things being said that could be seen as offensive by certain people—marginalized, groups, for example—I absolutely enjoy the unity established by those like me.

In lieu of the Women’s Marches that took place around the world earlier this year, I have seen several accounts and opinions that follow a pattern: the voices and experiences of women of color being seen as second rate, being pushed aside in favor of issues such as the wage gap or taxation on tampons and sanitary napkins. While the two latter things mentioned are important topics of discussion in the pool of feminism, it astounded me that, despite this place in which all women’s stories are supposed to be welcomed and heard, a number of women of color were denied any acceptance and, in some instances, had their culture and hardships belittled by white women.

As a result of incidences in which minorities are not taken seriously by their white/able-bodied/heterosexual/cisgendered/privileged counterparts, individuals who are seen as “non-normative” or do not identify themselves as part of a group approved by society’s norms, refuse to label themselves as something that does not embrace their cultural background and image.

In short, I have seen this in the world of feminism, where a person of color may live by and believe in the values the movement aims for, yet do not call themselves “feminists”.

When it comes to environmentalism, Nick Visser, of The Huffington Post, cites a report published in a journal called Climatic Change in which he says, “About 50 percent of non-white respondents identified as environmentalists, compared to 56 percent of whites”. In the same article, titled “People Of Color Care About Climate Change, But Are Less Likely To Call Themselves Environmentalists”, Visser quotes Jonathon Schuldt, an assistant professor of communication at Cornell. Schudlt speaks of the reason as to why this may be, stating that when a person of color approaches a cause whose goal it is to improve the environment, said person may look at the driving force behind those leading the cause and think that not only do they not look alike in appearance, but their ideas may not be given a chance to be heard.

In a piece by Brentin Mock for MotherJones.com, called “Are There Two Different Versions of Environmentalism, One ‘White,’ One ‘Black’?”, he states that “it appears that too many would rather accommodate their prejudices than test their understanding of how non-white, non-hetero, non-male, non-college-educated, non-wealthy human beings relate to the environment.”

Jackie Cornejo, author of “On Being a Woman of Color in the Environmental Movement”, weighs in on this, saying, “I always thought that the environmental ‘movement’ was not a place for me.” Cornejo talks about how, although she strongly believes in bettering our way of living to improve the world around us, environmentally, she does not label herself as an “environmentalist”. “In a place as diverse as Los Angeles [where she grew up], it remains a white-dominated space,” she adds.

The reasons for which people of color do not choose to merge themselves in the same group as “environmentalists” are valid. But whose responsibility is it when there are people who want to help, but don’t feel included?