How have barriers been constructed for young People of Colour in climate activism: a case study of School Strike 4 Climate

Abstract

In August 2018, Greta Thunberg skipped school to sit outside the Swedish Parliament to demand action on climate change. Other school students soon joined her, and under the banner of ‘Fridays for Future’ (FFF), they called for students worldwide to unite in demanding action. In November 2018, shortly after Thunberg’s call for worldwide student protests, students in Australia formed a national organisation by the name of SS4C - School Strikes 4 Climate. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how barriers have been constructed for Young People of Colour (YPOC) engaging in SS4C between 2018 and 2025. To investigate these barriers, I focus on two themes, firstly, how SS4C frame climate impacts and secondly, the ways that climate solutions are proposed. These themes were developed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase reflective thematic analysis, utilising three data sources– organisational information, interviews and public statements. These two themes, being climate impacts and climate solutions were embedded within the core messaging of the organisation. Who was impacted by climate change drove the narrative of why this activism was necessary and the proposed climate solutions outlined concrete ways that the current climate policies could change to meet these students’ envisaged futures. To understand how these two themes constructed barriers for YPOC engaging in the organisation, I draw on two theoretical paradigms: Critical Race Theory (CRT) and decolonial thought, a ‘both and’ approach suggested by race and decolonial scholar Ali Meghji. This approach provides a novel way to consider the youth-led climate movement in the Australian context. Through this approach, I identified that barriers were created for YPOC through an epistemic divide that existed between themselves and the majority young white strikers in the organisation. The basis of this epistemic divide was a result of differing knowledge and lived experiences as they pertained to these two issues. These findings allow me to move beyond liberal approaches to antiracism that emphasise initiatives such as representation and diversity, to instead demonstrate how racism is embedded in social structures and perpetuated through Western epistemologies.

Date of Thesis submission	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Michelle Catanzaro (Supervisor) & Alana Lentin (Supervisor)