Black leaders in sustainability
Over the past couple of years, many leaders have been talked about in regardto the sustainability movement. Here are a few black individuals paving the way for a more inclusive, environmentally-focused future.
Rue Mapp:Outdoor Afro founder
Rue Mapp is the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a national non-profit organization connecting black individuals to nature in the form of hiking, kayaking, camping andfishing. Since founding the organization in 2009, over 45,000 individuals have been able to connect with nature thanks to Outdoor Afro. Mapp says, “the trees don’t know what color I am. The birds don’t know what gender is. The flowers don’t know how much money I have in my bank account.”
Ron Finley:Ron Finley Project founder
Ron Finley, also known as the ‘gangster gardener,’ startedplanting vegetables in the dirt patches along his street inLos Angeles in 2010, a well-known food desert.The city of LA was unhappy about this and cited him for gardening without a permit. He started apetition that would allow him, and others within his community, to garden in these areas, andwon. Fast forward to today, where he is teaching communities how to transform underutilized areas within their communities into gardens. Finley says,“gardening is the most therapeutic and defiant act you can do. Plus, you get strawberries.”
Dominique Drakeford andWhitney McGuire:Sustainable Brooklyn founders
Dominique and Whitney founded Sustainable Brooklyn because they never saw themselves reflected in the sustainability movement. Sustainable Brooklyn aims to narrow the gap between the sustainability movement and communities that are directly impacted, especially Black Indigenous people of color (BIPOC). They want the organization to “fashionably foster the evolution of sustainability to create an inclusive future for all.”
Jason Swann:Rising Routes co-founder
Jason Swann co-founded Rising Routes with Marisa Jarae. This Colorado-based organization aims tohelppeople from different cultural backgrounds bridge the divide within the outdoor industry and society. They promoteenvironmental stewardship, social justiceand mental health events in the Denver area. Swannalso works as a Western Lands policy analyst, with the goal of making sure that every human who lives in the west has equal access to water, landand wildlife.