This year marks the 40th year of Africana Studies in the academy, and while great gains have been made, there is one glaring area of study absent from the field—the environment. Given that African peoples globally suffer disproportionately from environmental degradation as well as the role that the burgeoning “Green Jobs” sector could have in engendering job growth in the Black community, the environment should play a role in Africana Studies programs and research. This article showcases the absence of an environmental focus in both Black scholarly research and Africana Studies programs—and other academic programs—across the country. Given the important role that the environment plays in the Black community and could continue to play in the near future, this article advocates for the necessity of an environmental focus within the field of Africana Studies.
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