world·view

The Origin

Growing up in Atlanta, I was surrounded by many things which, at my core, did not sit right with me. I was upset by the poverty, hunger, and suffering that was around me. What I came to realize is that in a system that is broken, it will take on many forms, one of them being environmental racism. Trash, pollution, food deserts, and illegal dumping of waste were just a few of the things I observed around me as I grew up. Alongside my fascination with Discovery Channel and National Geographic, I knew from a young age I was called to make a difference for low-income and minority communities who were facing negative externalities of our system through their environments. Specifically, I made the connections early on that the environment was very much linked to racism, and in caring about one I was also caring about the other. In my passion for preserving our planet, I am committed to sustainability. I am dedicated to making our planet safe and plentiful not just for our generation, but for future generations. The injustices which I observed growing up were a visual representation of the aspects of our society that were not operating fairly. This was the beginning of my journey to educate myself about the environment and climate change and start my journey to tackle environmental racism.

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The Process

When I was a young girl I was especially fascinated with the ocean. I was obsessed with National Geographic and Blue Planet. Being in Atlanta, Georgia, I did not have much opportunity to see the ocean, so I explored it on my own. From Blue Planet documentaries to google searching “How old do I have to be to get SCUBA certified?” I learned about the garbage patches in the ocean, and this really lit a flame inside of me. The ocean being affected by pollution disturbed me. I wanted to do something about it. Unfortunately, I grew up in a place where we did not really have the freedom to dream big. Growing up in Southeast Atlanta you have to dream practically, not fantastically. I was told I was stupid for having such a dream. I was mocked for studying in school. And further, I didn’t have any role models to look up to that looked like me who could keep me going. These were obstacles that stood in my way. One day in particular in middle school we sat in homeroom and went around the room to say what we wanted to do out loud. Around me were aspirations of nurses, doctors, and lawyers. These were considered respectable professions. But as for me, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I became discouraged because maybe it was not the smartest decision to do something such as marine biology. At the time I was at a loss. Around me, there was no one that shared that dream. When I searched for role models in the field of marine biology or environmentalism, there was no one who looked like me. But this is when I made the decision to never let anyone tell me I can’t do something, and to pursue and persevere. 

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