Before she embraced the label “environmentalist” at the age of 19, Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru spent her formative years with her hands in the soil, tending to gardens alongside her mother and grandmother in the serene Quiet Corner of Northeastern Connecticut. Gatheru’s roots trace back to Kenyan immigrants, with agricultural traditions on both her maternal and paternal sides that stretch back generations, as recounted through oral history.
Even with such a rich connection to nature during her upbringing, Gatheru, who later established the nonprofit Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), initially found it challenging to identify with the environmental movement.
“I used to believe that being an environmentalist was synonymous with wealth, hiking, and brands like Patagonia—none of which aligned with my family’s experiences or resources,” Gatheru reflects. “I struggled to see how my love for gardening and the outdoors linked to environmental advocacy.”
A pivotal change in Gatheru’s perspective emerged from a high school environmental science course that she did not find particularly appealing at first. A segment on environmental justice made the issues personal and relatable.
“That class shifted my understanding, revealing that climate change was not just an abstract idea but a pressing, immediate issue,” Gatheru explains. “It helped me recognize that the climate crisis exacerbates pre-existing social problems. I concluded that any meaningful social-impact work I pursued had to begin with addressing the climate.”
Climate Injustice in the Black Community
It is well established that the repercussions of climate change disproportionately affect different populations, yet those who suffer the most have often been overlooked by the broader environmental movement. Research supports this assertion.
A study from 2018 published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that Black populations face a 1.54 times greater risk of exposure to harmful particulate matter, such as soot and smoke, which can lead to severe health issues.
Despite representing only 13.6 percent of the U.S. population, Black Americans are more frequently located near harmful sites such as coal power plants, oil refineries, and industrial neighborhoods where environmental factors adversely affect local residents.
These inequalities have real-world consequences, most notably higher rates of mortality in Black communities tied to environmental factors. Additionally, Black women and girls face heightened health risks due to intersecting racial and gender biases.
“Women generally bear the harsh consequences of the climate crisis and environmental injustice due to the persistent impact of patriarchy,” Gatheru remarks.
“For women of color, especially Black and Indigenous women, systemic racism, along with colonialism and imperialism, adds to the ways we navigate environmental dangers and our political representation.”
Furthermore, environmental science ranks among the least diverse fields in STEM. In 2021, only 138 Black women received environmental science degrees, versus 2,945 degrees awarded to White women and 2,248 to White men.
This lack of representation is reinforced by “the green ceiling,” a term used to describe the disparity where people of color, despite making up nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population, compose less than 16 percent of employees in environmental organizations.
Gatheru, while frustrated by these disparities, felt a sense of helplessness as a teenager navigating these issues. Stumbling upon the concept of environmental justice almost serendipitously, she was struck by the lack of dialogue surrounding what she viewed as “the most urgent issue in the world.” This realization fueled her desire to effect change.
The Environmental Movement’s Narrative Issue
Upon joining the environmental movement at the age of 15, Gatheru quickly noticed she was often the youngest participant by at least two decades, and frequently the sole Black representative. Furthermore, she encountered a bewildering reaction to her engagement; people were astonished that she was invested in these issues.
Gatheru recognized not only the necessity of her continued presence in the movement—highlighting the lack of younger, diverse voices—but also the importance of encouraging others to join. This commitment led to the creation of BGE.
“When you search for ‘environmentalist’ online, you won’t find many faces that look like mine,” she notes. “While that isn’t inherently negative, it reflects a limited definition of an environmentalist. By shifting narratives, we aim to broaden representation regarding who can be an environmentalist, what they look like, and the work they undertake.”
BGE challenges this narrative issue by creating avenues for Black girls, women, and gender-nonconforming individuals to engage with and persist in the climate movement. The organization employs three main strategies:
1. Green workforce development, which implements recruitment techniques to build pathways into the climate sector.
2. Community empowerment, by hosting both in-person and virtual gatherings that help participants find a supportive network, inspiring them to actively contribute to the movement.
3. Diversity and inclusion through narrative change—an initiative aimed at motivating emerging activists to recognize themselves as environmental stewards.
“Through BGE, I want the larger environmental community to understand that Black women and women of color have played essential roles in this work for ages,” Gatheru asserts.
“My organization serves as a channel for nurturing the next generation of individuals poised to be climate and environmental leaders, whose contributions have yet to be fully acknowledged.”
Inspiring Future Climate Leaders
BGE offers various programs, such as the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship, which provides a paid 10-week climate internship, alongside the HUB initiative, which organizes community-building events across 12 U.S. cities.
The central theme of each program is to create opportunities for participants to connect with fellow environmentalists who share their commitment. An added benefit is that these gatherings help young individuals coping with eco-anxiety related to climate change find a supportive outlet for their concerns.
According to Gatheru, HUB events provide a space where anyone grappling with eco-anxiety is not alone. The collective experience of sharing similar concerns can be profoundly impactful.
“One of the most effective strategies to address climate anxiety is to acknowledge it and come together for action,” Gatheru advises. “By uniting to build community strength, we create opportunities to transform our neighborhoods and make a positive imprint on the world’s future.”
This article first appeared in the September-October 2024 edition of up7op magazine (U.S. edition).
