For #BlackHistoryMonth, we at YSJ Geography are going to be publishing a blog post every weekday, celebrating black landscapes, people, and histories in geography and the environment!
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For week 1, we are focusing on black environmentalists, starting with…
Image credit: Oregon State University
Wangari Maathai (1940-2011): Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmentalist who founded the Green Belt Movement (GBM) which helped in countering deforestation and encouraged women to plant trees in their local environments to enhance their wellbeing and to think ecologically. Wangari saw tree-planting in a broader perspective which included democracy, women’s rights, and international solidarity. For her, the tree is not only important for ecological and environmental value but is also a symbol of democratic struggle. She promoted planting trees of peace to demand the release of prisoners of conscience, defend democratic rights and for conflict resolution. The Green Belt Movement has spread to other African countries and contributed to the planting of over thirty million trees. In 2004 Wangari received the Nobel Peace Prize “for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”, making her the first African woman to receive the award. In the words of the Nobel Committee: “She thinks globally and acts locally”.