“One’s voice can be an action, one’s art can be an action, one’s habits can be an action”:
An Interview with Ilyas Khan
Many of us remember hearing youth climate activist Ilyas Khan speak last June at Convergence One in Harrisburg. It was clear that his voice arises from a passionate connection to our planet and that he has thought deeply about our place in the fight to preserve it. At 18, he is already a compelling, inspiring presence – and a force to be reckoned with! The Editorial Board at Campfire Dispatch wanted to hear more, so we asked Ilyas for an interview.
Ilyas is an 18-year-old Muslim-Latine Climate Activist. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Ilyas was the lead organizer for the Youth Climate Strikes there and helped establish the Western New York Youth Climate Council, (WNYYCC), a youth led organization dedicated to political climate action. The WNYYCC successfully passed a climate resolution in the City of Buffalo, and were later recognized by Erie County for their work. Ilyas moved to Pittsburgh in 2020 and has since been an activist with Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh, a chapter of the national Sunrise Movement. Ilyas took part in the planning of the March 19th 2021, September 24th 2021, Earth Day 2021 and September 21st 2022 Pittsburgh Climate Strikes and other local actions. They have also worked as part of House on Fire Studios, a youth climate art collective, as the acting director. Last year they helped establish the Pittsburgh Youth Climate Council (PYCC) and were recently elected coordinator of Sunrise Pittsburgh. Ilyas is a Winchester Thurston alum, and is currently at Carnegie Mellon.
Karen Elias: Finding one’s voice seems to be a necessary first step in becoming an activist. This is, of course, not just a matter of simply opening one’s mouth to speak. It involves assuming a personal stake in the issues as well as understanding that one has the right, and the power, to take a stand. Could you talk about your own process? What forces did you have to overcome, who gave you encouragement, and how did you discover how to take on, and give voice to, climate issues in a compelling way?
Ilyas Khan: I think the second part needs to be answered first, to give context. I, like everyone else, wasn’t always an activist or activist minded. To me the environment has always been important. My mother taught me just how precious resources like water and soil are from a young age. As a kid I was passionate about fighting invasive species and recycling, but I didn’t understand climate change, and it wasn’t until much later that I came to recognize the deep and oppressive roots of the climate crisis. I could only see the symptoms and not the causes. Around the age of 11-12, my parents broke my provincial “Buffalo Bubble” by traveling the world with me, and what an eye opening experience that was. To see the world removed from one’s own context made me far more attuned to the natural environment, and the politics of its destruction. According to my mom, I was always willing to talk to people, and always curious — but this trip made me be interested in hearing what people with totally different experiences had to say, and listening to them helped me find my voice. It was after Trump’s election, around the March for Science in 2017, that I finally realized what governments were doing, pandering to corporate interests without so much as a care for the people that they are meant to protect. I was angry, disheartened, and unenthusiastic about our future. At thirteen, learning that governments could stop societal collapse into Eco-Fascism but won’t because they’re being led by the nose by a coalition of corporations and wealthy individuals can be a really upsetting concept to live with.
There was a period of time where my outlook was bleak. Even as I joined activist organizations like the Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA) around age 13/14, I found little to encourage me, except for my parents, who were conscientious and supportive. That changed with the Youth Climate Strikes of 2019. For me, the strikes were essentially a really lucky accident. Sohayla Eldeeb (then with Zero Hour) came to Buffalo and gave a speech on the Youth Climate Strike that Greta Thunberg was proposing. Afterwards she asked myself and the other youth in our flagship program under the WNYEA if any of us would step up to the plate and try organizing a strike. I raised my hand without exactly knowing what that entailed. Two weeks before the strike I started scrambling to action, and with the coordinator of that WNYEA program, Emily Dyett, we scraped it together. It was the first time I felt genuine hope in the movement and the first time I truly felt that my voice had weight, because I saw the youth come out and speak about their experiences, their anxieties, and their desire for change, because I had asked them. I think that was a life changing moment, and it continues to inspire me.
Whenever I go anywhere to speak now, I remember that hopelessness first, because that’s where I started. I have to accept that to some degree those feelings, that anxiety, is always with me. But I have grown beyond hopelessness. I’ve seen that a better world is possible, and that we have the opportunity to make change if we are only willing to seize it. I recognize that hope is not a passive thing, but an active one, one which requires a deep connection to the world around you and to yourself. One which requires understanding what is at stake and where we’re going wrong. One which requires that we constantly be ready to take action, on our own and in community. One’s voice can be an action, one’s art can be an action, one’s habits can be an action. The important thing is to remember that we must do these purposefully, in community, and with an understanding of the history and legacy that the climate crisis will leave if we do not.
KE: I’m interested in the fact that you’ve now engaged in activist work in both New York State and Pennsylvania. Here in PA, we look at some of the victories in New York (the banning of fracking, most especially) and often get discouraged by the seemingly ferocious entrenchment and intractability of the fossil fuel industry in our state. Have you found challenges here that seem different from those in NY? And has your style of activism had to redefine itself as a result?
IK: Pennsylvania has absolutely posed a lot of challenges that I wasn’t anticipating. From the willful disinterest of local and state leaders to address environmental health crises, to the comparative lack of enthusiasm and engagement among youth when it comes to climate justice work. That said, I think that despite Pennsylvania being somewhat behind compared to New York, New York isn’t all peaches and roses either, and there is a significant difference in the forces at play here versus there. For example, in Western New York apathy wasn’t as great an issue. Everyone could all rally around causes like clean water, even conservatives. Here apathy is pervasive and all encompassing. Our county executive and legislative bodies almost entirely ignore the voice of youth — and their future wellbeing. Time and again we have proven that certain actions are detrimental to the well being of our people and planet, but they do not have the political will to do what is right, settling for short term profit instead. I think that’s the greatest difference between the two.
I’ve really had to learn patience because that apathy in government trickles down to everyday folk too. It’s hard not to be apathetic when it seems like our governments don’t care. It’s particularly been a struggle to convince people how we can change things, how we can make the government care. That firewall of “oh it doesn’t matter what we do,” or “I’m already doing more than enough,” can be incredibly frustrating to hear, especially if it’s clear that they themselves haven’t even tried to take action. We’ve seen tremendous movement over the past few years, for instance the recent ban on fracking in public parks here in Allegheny county, and I really firmly believe that that movement will be the catalyst for tremendous change. The question is whether or not this movement is enough to inspire people to action. I’ve had mixed results on that front, but I think generally the consensus is that something must change, and we’re getting to the point where youth are more broadly recognizing their power and role in this change. I hope we can build on that in the years to come!
KE: In an interview you talk about realizing that climate change is a “massive, intersectional thing” and being frightened, and frustrated, by the charge that your generation must be the one to fix it. It seems clear that we need to build a movement that’s multi-generational as well as multiracial and multicultural. Fixing it is up to everyone of us. I’m wondering, though, if you’ve experienced instances of intersectionality that could serve as inspiration as we engage in this work.
IK: I definitely agree. To me, a multigenerational, cross-class, multicultural and multiracial movement is the only way forward! Yet young people are still often told that it’s up to our generation to fix the problems of the past, present, and future. Even by the politicians in office! I think that laying the burden on young shoulders is irresponsible at best, and cruel at worst. But I know that this movement is capable of infinitely more than that, and I’ve seen it for myself many times. One of my fondest memories when I lived in Buffalo was the September 20th 2019 youth climate strike. I would be lying if I said organizing it was easy, because negotiating between the over twenty organizations, youth and non-youth alike, wasn’t a piece of cake. But when it all came together it was a breathtaking display of intersectionality.
The day of, it was 81 degrees, and we were all in front of Buffalo City Hall. In the shade of the trees, there were old people with young children, holding signs, playing, chatting, chanting and singing. The able bodied and comfortable stood out in the sun. People of every race, every class, every age, from babies to wheelchair bound seniors, showed up, marched, danced, and played together in the name of climate justice. It was almost like a festival. I can’t recall any similar events that I’ve organized since, but I would say that the way that the elders have so often shown up for the youth and vice versa here in Pittsburgh has given me hope that intersectionality is not only possible but inevitable, even in a city of great apathy.
KE: I notice that, along with involvement in a variety of activist organizations, you’re also part of the House on Fire Studio, a youth-led climate art collective. Could you talk a bit about the mission of this collective and about the role art might play in climate activism? Have you found anyone to collaborate with you on an anime project?
IK: Certainly! House on Fire Studio’s goal is to bring youth activists and artists together to imagine different, more creative approaches to the climate justice movement. Whether it’s theater, dance, or other forms of performance, musical and visual art. The goal is to produce art that anyone can see to understand the emotional root of the youth struggle for climate justice. Unfortunately we’ve been on a (self-inflicted) hiatus, because without multiple lead organizers it’s rather difficult to manage an international artist collective. However I think there’s still plenty of fuel in the tank for this idea, and hope to get it back up and running whenever I can find some more co-conspirators!
As for my dream of making a climate anime, I’ve only moved on it a little, and had a hard time finding interested and willing participants. It’s not very conventional, and as I know from experience the process for creating a story and animating it is not an easy or quick one. I hope to one day become an animator myself doing shows like the ones that inspired me as a kid. (Dora was a breakthrough moment for me!) But I would really love to see a climate focused animation for young people and adults alike. If I ever have the chance to work on one myself, you bet I’ll jump at it! And if one of your readers would like to collaborate they can always reach out! But for now I’ve just got to grit my teeth and keep working on smaller projects!
KE: I know you’re now starting college. How do you plan to balance your academic interests with your activism? And what is your dream for your future?
IK: Balance? What’s that? But all jokes aside, I think academics and activism can absolutely coexist. Oftentimes I run into students who complain that they are too busy to be bothered with activism, and that’s a really common and valid concern. The times I struggled most with my own mental capacity as an activist came when I had essentially convinced myself that academics is the only thing I can afford to focus on. That one-track work culture leads straight to burnout. There are plenty of ways to keep yourself sane, but I personally adhere to the golden rule of SETTING GOOD BOUNDARIES. Don’t live life like only one of those two things matter, and don’t live life like those two things matter more than your health and wellbeing. All of it matters, and it’s possible to live a life where you don’t have to force yourself to do one thing or another. I firmly believe one of our biggest setbacks as individual activists will always be our failure to set strong boundaries, and I think it’s also one of the most important things new activists need to learn.
As for my dreams, I don’t want to be an activist or politician professionally long term. I want to make cartoons for kids, teens, and adults to enjoy that show the diversity of human and non-human life, bringing the climate crisis, as well as issues of language, cultural identity and racism to an everyday audience. Climate justice has shaped how I approach every situation, language identity changes the literal voice in my head, cultural identity and racism have been sources of pain and inspiration for me and all of my work since I was young. I think many people my age and younger can understand that, and it will become increasingly so as our generations grow more diverse and more directly impacted by the climate crisis. Whether or not my dream is the easiest or the most financially suitable is also a part of my activism! After all, as we fight for climate justice we’re also fighting for workers’ justice, now and in the future. I fight for my right to a livable planet and a livable wage because I know someday that I, and every other young person out there today, will need it.
KE: What more would you like to say?
IK: I’ve recently become the hub co-coordinator of Sunrise Pittsburgh and as such I’d like to extend my hand to all of the youth and non youth, individuals and organizations alike, that may be reading this to say: I believe in the power of coalition and relationship building in this movement. If you do too, let’s talk! I think we, as a state, need to learn how best to work together and take on our problems as a team.
Note: Ilyas invites our readers to reach out. His contact information is:
ilsomoshi@gmail.com and @ilyaskhan220 on instagram (for non-sunrise inquiries)
pittsunrisemovement@gmail.com (for sunrise inquiries)
CampfireDispatch2023 
Leave a comment