When thinking about the protecting Earth, many of us tend to think that it has to happen on a grand, elaborate scale. That is not necessarily the case, even small steps every day can make a difference.
Check out these Black activists who are invested in saving our planet, in whatever way they can. These Black-led organizations have devoted their work to preservation efforts that not only benefit our collective community but the entire world. They try to make strides daily to ensure its wellbeing.
Guardians of the Reef
Founded by educator and "eco-explorer" Weldon Wade, Guardians of the Reef is an environmental conservation organization that takes protective actions to protect the island of Bermuda. Through beach clean-ups and education, the organization encourages folks to be conscious about the way their own footprint impacts the planet.
Hip Hop Caucus
Founded by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., this organization is rooted in hip hop politics as a means to influence socio-economic and environmental change. Through various initiatives such as voter mobilization and community organizing, the Hip Hop Caucus is on a mission to create "racial justice, healthy communities and a healthy planet." The work that the group has done has spanned various major projects and causes such as the Clean Power Plan in 2014, protesting after Hurricane Katrina and the cancellation of the Byhalia Pipeline in Memphis.
Detroit Hives
Detroit Hives—the brainchild of Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey—is a non-profit organization that aids disenfranchised communities in Detroit through urban beekeeping. The organization creates beehives to support the natural and essential functions of the buzzy honeymakers, and plants gardens to help sustain their population in the area. It also hosts tours to educate others on why bees are important part of the eco-system.
Black Farmers Index
What began as a solution oriented journalism project in 2020 by Dr. Kaia Niambi Shivers's Ark Republic is now solidified through the Black Farmers Index. The non-profit brings light to the work of Black agriculturalists and the connections to food insecurity in the U.S. and its impacts on environmentalism.
National Black Environmental Network
In December 1999, over 300 concerned Black folks rallied together to discuss strategies that would mitigate environmental and health disparities in Black communities in the United States. This meeting of the minds became the National Black Environmental Network. Today, the organization continues to organize and act in the best interest of the Black community while simultaneously thinking broadly about the betterment of the planet. Committees within the National Black Environment Network include Equal Protection, International Human Rights and Environmental Justice, Federal Facilities, Outreach/Community Support, Clean Production and Sustainable Development, Youth Leadership Development, Super-fund Relocation and Land Loss and Health.
