Answer:
I think she was speaking directly to the reader, i.e. humanity.
Step-by-step explanation:
In her work Parable of the Sower, Olivia Butler talks about Lauren Oya Olamina, who founds a new society, named the Earthseed, due to the changes on Earth. The story is set in 2020 in a largely dystopian society which has fallen apart due to climate change, inequality, and greed.
Butler says the quote above in order to warn the society against the possible catastrophe. This is something that is highly probable and might (possibly will) happen in our future, so she tried to help us understand that if we help teach each other and fight for our planet, we might even save it.