TBG U: Environmental Justice 101

Congratulations, you’ve been accepted into the inaugural class of Therapy for Black Girls University. Whether packing for a new year on campus, thinking through your gap year, enrolling in a community college, or grabbing your stoles for graduation, TBG U is here to help you thrive at this stage of your life and beyond.

Last year, videos of a flooding at Clark Atlanta University went viral. I know I’m not the only one who sees videos like these and wonders how the climate crisis will continue to impact me and my friends who are in college.

To help mitigate some of the anxiety I’m sure we all have around the climate crisis, I’m joined today by Gen Z climate activist, Wawa Gatheru. Wawa is the founder and executive director of Black Girl Environmentalist, the largest national organization dedicated to empowering Black girls and women in the climate movement.

She has been recognized as a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, and was featured on the January 2023 cover of Vogue alongside Billie Eilish and 7 other climate activists.

In our conversation today, Wawa breaks down some key terms relevant to the climate crisis, ways we can get involved with the environmental justice movement on our campuses, and why it’s important for college students in particular to care about climate change.

Where to Find Wawa

Instagram

HOMEWORK

• Find out if your university has a sustainability office on campus. If not, explore opportunities with your professors to create one!
• Get involved with your campus climate club, or find a local one in your neighborhood.
• Work with your family, friends, and neighbors to create a climate plan in the case of an emergency.

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram

TikTok

Interested in being a part of a future TBG U episode or suggesting a topic for us to discuss, send us a note HERE.

Order a copy of Sisterhood Heals for you and your girls HERE.

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard

Producers: Fredia Lucas & Ellice Ellis

Production Intern: Zariah Taylor

TBG University Host & Coordinator: Jayna Ellis

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