30 March 2025 3 minute read
As we honor Women’s History Month, it’s essential to celebrate the Black women who have shaped and continue to transform the environmental movement. From Hazel M. Johnson, the mother of environmental justice, to today’s rising leaders, Black women have long been at the forefront of advocating for climate solutions and community resilience—often without recognition.
Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE) was founded to change that by creating a dedicated space for young Black women to lead, thrive, and make a lasting impact in the climate movement. In this special Women’s History Month interview, we speak with the visionary behind BGE about her inspiration, the barriers Black women face in environmental leadership, and how collective action is paving the way for a more inclusive future. Through mentorship, advocacy, and intentional community-building, BGE is not only rewriting the narrative but also ensuring that those most impacted by climate change are leading the fight for solutions.
Iesha Baldwin: Building Inclusive Environmental Spaces: Black Girl Environmentalist is dedicated to empowering Black women in the climate movement. What inspired you to start this organization, and how do you see it reshaping the future of environmental advocacy?
Wawa Gatheru:
While the idea for Black Girl Environmentalist came about in 2020, the seed for starting the organization took root years prior. After taking a life changing environmental science class at 15, I made the decision to dedicate my life to environmental justice. From there, I began my climate advocacy journey, helping to lead my state’s first youth climate lobby day, making my undergraduate institution the first public university in the nation to require an environmental literacy general education requirement, and making Black academic history at 20. However, throughout my earliest years, I found myself growing frustrated at the experiences I was having.
While I was happy to be invested in climate work, at every job / movement space I was in I was the only person of color - always the only Black person - and the youngest by at least 20 years. In the summer of 2020, I wrote an article for VICE detailing these circumstances and was surprised when it immediately went viral. After having dozens of conversations with other Black women - of all generations - about our collective experiences, I decided to start the organization. At the time, there was no other organization that was specifically created to support and uplift young Black women in the climate movement and I wanted to ensure that that infrastructure would be available to those that needed it.
Iesha Baldwin: Navigating Challenges & Opportunities: What are some of the biggest challenges Black women face in environmental leadership, and what strategies do you think are most effective in overcoming them?
During my time as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, I spent two years conducting a narrative inquiry on self-identifying Black women environmentalists. The aim of my research was to better understand the unique challenges we face in the environmental field and to identify strategies to overcome them. The barriers that came up in the research were consistent - a lack of pipelines specifically for us, lack of financial safety nets to pursue careers that have not traditionally been accessible due to representation or starting salary rates, misogynoir in the workplace, lack of mentorship, and chronic burnout. On the other hand, I found that we are often involved in “other mothering” a concept in which, often older Black women, take younger Black women under their wings and embody the ‘lift as they climb’ value.
Many of the strategies that I included in my conclusions have been integrated into the foundation of Black Girl Environmentalist’s mission and programming. We offer cohort-based programming for our community to get their foot in the climate movement with adequate funding, support, and ecosystems of care. We share resources to ensure that early career Black women are able to attend professional development opportunities and have over a dozen cities where we regularly create spaces for us by us. We are the leading digital source that creates educational content that specifically speaks to our unique environmental experiences and we will continue to grow our impact and reach.
Iesha Baldwin: Activating the Next Generation: Many students at Spelman are passionate about sustainability but may not know where to start. What advice would you give to young Black women at Spelman looking to make a meaningful impact in the environmental space?
Wawa Gatheru:
My advice to Spelman students would be to take an environmental course, if you have room in your schedule. Education yourself on how environmental issues, regardless of your field of study, is important as every profession will be impacted by climate change. I would also encourage Spelman students seeking a climate community to apply to Black Girl Environmentalist's Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship Program, the first and only climate internship pipeline created for and by us. I’d also encourage them to learn more about BGE’s Atlanta HUB led by the incredible Autumn McNeill.
Iesha Baldwin: Fun Question: How would you make your favorite tradition more eco-friendly without losing the fun?
Wawa Gatheru:
I love to thrift! It is one of my favorite ways to spend my time. However, I find that it can be easy to still fall into overconsumption, even when it’s with second hand items. I make sure to thrift with a very specific list of needs, not wants, and make it more fun by creating a pinterest board to specify the aesthetic direction I want to go for. This allows me to be more intentional with my choices and ensures that I have a better chance at wearing things frequently!