“I believe the Nobel committee was sending a message that protecting and restoring the environment contributes to peace; it is peace work. I always felt that our work was not simply about planting trees. It was about inspiring people to take charge of their environment, the system that governed them, their lives, and their future.” Wangari Mathaai
Role of women in conservation, Sustainable development and environmental justice has always been remarkable. Here is a list of five Black Women who played significant role to protect the environment around them.
Wangari Mathaai(1940-2011)
The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree and became an Associate Professor, first woman to attain that position in the region. She returned to her village to serve her people. She founded the Green Belt Movement. She taught Kenyan women how to plant new trees in deforested areas and sustainably draw income from the land by training 30,000 women to raise them out of poverty, and planted over 51 million trees. She was the first African Women to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her services for sustainable development. She also authored four books.
https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai
Hazel Johnson (1935-2011),
Hazel Johnson is considered to be the mother of environmental justice. She was an environmental activist. She fought half of her life for environmental justice on the South Side from her home in the Chicago Housing Authority’s Altgeld Gardens. She spoke for environmental injustice suffered by minority communities with low income. She also fought for removal of asbestos from homes and lead contaminants from Altgeld Gardens community. Her fight for clean water led to installation of water and sewer lines where the water was previously contaminated with cyanide. She was given the President’s Environment and Conservation Challenge award in recognition of her environmental justice work. She was very active n pressuring President Bill Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice Executive Order, which holds the federal government accountable for urban communities exposed to pollution. Know more about her in the link:
Hattie Carthan(1900-1984)
She was an African-American woman also known as the tree lady of Brooklyn. She was a community activist and environmentalist. She formed a T &T vernon avenue block association to save and plant trees. She raised funds by throwing block parties. Her neighborhood tree corps taught youth about tree care. She saved a 40 feet magnolia tree that was threatened to be cut down for an apartment complex. She collected funds by campaigns and built a wall behind the tree and it was designated by City Landmarks Preservation Commission as a living landmark. The remaining brownstones became the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford- Stuyvesant Inc, an educational center. Know her biography:
https://peoplepill.com/people/hattie-carthan/
Lisa Perez Jackson(b.1962)
The first African-American administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is known for her work to reduce greenhouse gas, fighting pollution, and encouraging environmentally-conscious residential and industrial growth. After graduating from Princeton, Jackson was hired by the EPA where she initially worked as a staff level engineer. During her years with the EPA, Jackson was involved with the federal Superfund site remediation program. She developed numerous hazardous waste cleanup regulations and supervised multi-million dollar waste cleanup projects in central New Jersey. She later served as deputy director and acting director of the Northeast Region’s enforcement division. Know more about her: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/lisa-perez-jackson-1962/
Isatou Ceesay (b. 1972)
She is known as “Queen of Recycling in The Gambia”, she is the founder of Njau Recycling and Income Generation Group. Njau Recycling and Income Generation Group turns waste into wealth: women collect the recyclable materials and bring them to a center where they separate out the plastics and upcycle them into bags, mats, purses, and more. Her organization helped over 100 women gain income. Her work can be seen here: http://oneplasticbag.com/
by: Ayesha Mushtaq
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