​I would like to recognize and appreciate the work of Margie Eugene-Richard! Margie grew up in a small, predominantly black community called Old Diamond in a region of Louisiana known as Cancer Ally. Her town and its residents were subjected to decades of exposure to intense pollution from a Shell refinery and chemical plant. Her neighbors suffered tremendous health issues as a result of their proximity to these industrial sites and the petrochemical pollution they were creating. 

After a pipeline tragically exploded destroying a home and claiming two lives, Margie was catalyzed into action. She formed an environmental justice group laser focused on holding Shell accountable for the harm they caused. After years of fighting, Margie's group, Concerned Citizens of Norco, was able to get the entire community relocated, and got Shell to foot the bill. In 2004 she became the first black American to receive the Goldman Environmental Prize for her tremendous success and tireless efforts to get justice for her community!

Photo courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize.

​Dr. Robert Bullard is known by many as the Father of Environmental Justice, a title incredibly well deserved. Dr. Bullard has written eighteen books on topics of environmental pollution, sustainability, resilient communities and more. Throughout his decades of experience he has earned innumerable titles and awards of distinguishing honor. He was the first African American to receive the Sierra Club John Muir Award in 2013, an organization which, a year later, created the Robert Bullard Environmental Justice Award in his honor. Most recently, he was awarded the United Nations 2020 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award, “the UN’s highest environmental honor, recognizing outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment.” (drrobertbullard.com)

Dr. Robert Bullard has paved the way for the environmental justice movement by researching, documenting, writing about, speaking out against, and taking direct action against the fact that our nation’s minority and low income communities are bearing the brunt of the harmful effects of the environmental degredation that fuels our society. These communities are subjected to alarming rates of environmental pollution with disastrous health impacts, and simultaneously are not able to access many of nature’s benefits (fresh, healthy foods & access to outdoor spaces to name a few).
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Thank you, Dr. Robert Bullard for shedding light on these deeply woven issues of our society and for dedicating your life to this critical work!

​Ernest Everett Just was the first black professor in the marine science field, teaching at Howard University after graduating magna cum laude from Dartmouth College. His topics of research included zoology, cytology, and marine biology and he dedicated much of his work to studying cell and egg development of marine organisms, particularly of marine mammals. Just’s incredible scientific achievements earned him the first ever Springarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

People of color are historically underrepresented in fields of science, particularly within biological sciences such as marine biology, a problem which Just faced in his career and that still persists today. Just as we need to increase ecological diversity to support healthy ecosystems, we also need establish equitable access to scientific careers to ensure that diverse voices and thoughts are represented at the table to foster sound science, effective policies, and a healthily functioning society that benefits all people.

​Today I would like to highlight and honor the work of Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson! Dr. Johnson is a renowned marine biologist with a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography - winning the Nat Geo and Rare sponsored Solution Search competition with her design of escape gaps on fishing traps that can help reduce by catch by up to 80%. In addition to being an expert in the biological sciences, she is also policy extrodinaire, helping to create the Blue New Deal advocating for oceanic and climate policy.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is truly an inspiration to me, with such an extensive science background, a commitment to advocacy and policy work that promotes a sustainable future, volunteering so much of her time to further coastal and ocean conservation…the list goes on. Her dedication has led to the receipt of several distinguishing honors including being named “the most influential marine biologist of our time” by Outside Magazine alongside many others.
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Catch her podcast series “How to Save a Planet,” or get yourself a copy of the book she co-edited, “All We Can Save”. I just got my copy and I can’t wait to read it! Thank you, Ayana for your immense contributions to marine science, your solutionary thinking, and the sound environmental policies you work to create every day!

Photo by Marcus Branch