Judy Ling Wong
Poet Painter and Environmentalist
Latest posts
I love people and nature
I am a poet, painter and environmentalist, probably best known as the Honorary President of Black Environment Network (BEN). I love people. I started off in the pure arts, but came to social commitment in my mid-thirties. I came to London as a poet, painter and dancer. Being a contemporary dancer has long fallen off the list as dance is a young person’s art.
My Chinese cultural background gave me a communal vision of being an artist. It steered me towards community arts as part of my portfolio. I came into contact with many ethnic minority groups living in the most deprived urban settings, marked by their histories of displacement, which I identified with. My group, Arts for Everyone, always asked people what theme they wished to work with. Environment and its cultural dimensions kept coming up. The scene was set for what came to be my life purpose – to enable full multicultural environmental participation.
climate justice
When we speak of social justice, the most vulnerable groups come to mind. But the fact is that people have agency. When we get it right, we release people’s contribution to benefit themselves and take action for sustainability and net zero. Social justice, environmental justice and racial justice come together to make up climate justice.
We have known for a long time that people have agency, that people are the ultimate force for change. In terms of those that are disadvantaged, from my work with BEN, I saw that when we support members of the community to connect, build capacity and open out opportunities, those that are deprived have twice the energy that ordinary citizens have. Intrinsically, all citizens want to feel their own power and act. When all the energy that is caught up with frustration, depression or anger is re-directed into positive actions benefiting themselves and the environment at large, it is a formidable and joyous thing to see.
Government, organisations, community groups, and individuals can work together across different sectors and at different levels using knowledge, skills and passion to shape our future, together.
