This #BlackBotanistWeek, we’ve found ourselves thinking–as we often do–about the incredible Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Kenyon activist and biologist who founded the Green Belt Movement in her backyard in Kenya in 1971, and made a dramatic impact on reforestation across Africa, and on community forestry and the environmental movement globally. Truly ahead of her time, Dr. Maathai used the lens and model of community-based tree planting to address the intersecting issues of ecological degradation/restoration, environmental justice, non-exploitative development, indigenous land protection, ecofeminism, human rights, economic empowerment, community health, and people-powered democracy.
If you don’t know much about Dr Maathai, here are links to more info about her life and legacy:
- Green Belt Movement – Wangari Maathai Biography
- The Green Belt Movement, and the Story of Wangari Maathai
- Why the World Needs an African Ecofeminist Future
WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, TAKE A MINUTE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE ESPECIALLY TREE-FOCUSED #BLACKBOTANISTSWEEK SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WE’VE BEEN ENJOYING THIS WEEK:
https://twitter.com/T_Marie_Wms/status/1281618843056648193
https://twitter.com/ColorfulSciGirl/status/1280939052150259712