Highlighting Black Conservationists

In honor of Black History Month, the Open Space Authority is highlighting four Black and African American leaders within the environmental, agricultural and conservation fields who have made a significant impact on the environment. While nature is for everyone, data from the U.S. Census Survey shows that less than three percent of foresters and conservation scientists are African American, leading these fields to lack an important and diverse perspective. 

In 1971, Dr. John Francis was living in the San Francisco Bay Area and witnessed an oil spill in the bay. He immediately saw how birds and sea life were negatively impacted by the spill and, in protest, decided he would no longer use motorized transportation. In his hometown of Inverness, just North of San Francisco, his friends and family didn’t understand this decision. Yet, this didn’t stop John. He argued with anyone who would listen that one person’s actions were able to make a difference. He soon set out on a walk to bring awareness to his cause and, on his birthday, decided to stop talking when he realized that he focused on his responses when arguing with people, rather than focusing on what they had to share. As a result, John walked across the country for 22 years, with breaks in between to go back to school, and didn’t talk for 17 years. As a result, John learned from people with all different perspectives, political affiliations, demographics and socioeconomic levels. Currently, John is walking across Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo and his efforts are featured in a Los Angeles Times short documentary called “Planetwalker.”

In 1970, Hazel M. Johnson, also known as the “mother of the environmental justice movement,” took matters into her own hands when she learned her community in the south side of Chicago had higher rates of cancer and respiratory illness. Quickly, the then 35-year-old found that the cause of these health problems was linked to the environment and the fact that her community was built on a former landfill. As a result, Hazel started the organization called People for Community Recovery which encouraged residents to learn more about how to protect themselves from the toxic environment around them and advocate for themselves. The organization also encouraged young people to keep their community clean, leading to an increase in environmental education among the next generation. In addition, Hazel worked at the federal level as an activist who made it her priority to bring awareness and attention to the environmental impacts of marginalized populations.

Born into slavery in 1864, Dr. George W. Carver grew up to become one of very few Black agricultural researchers whose work helped former slaves discover new and better ways to tend the land after cotton cultivation depleted its nutrients. At a young age, Dr. Carver became fascinated with plants and nature and performed his own experiments on plants to determine the best ways to care for them. As an adult, Dr. Carver wrote a handful of educational brochures and created the Jessup Wagon, a farm demonstration vehicle that taught farmers about the best farming practices. As a plant biologist, Dr. Carver focused his attention on crops like soybeans and peanuts which provide nitrogen for soil and can be used in a variety of resourceful ways. His contributions to the agricultural world made a significant impact on farming families, among others, and established his legacy within the environmental field. 

Dr. Wynn-Grant is an author, podcaster, host and ecological researcher who is currently focusing her attention to carnivores along the central coast of California. A nature enthusiast from a young age, Dr. Grant is also a professor at the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara where she teaches a class called “Decolonizing Conservation.” According to an article in Vogue Magazine, Dr. Wynn-Grant hopes to make environmental education accessible to more communities and bring in diverse perspectives to the conservation field, as marginalized populations are often most impacted by environmental factors. Dr. Wynn-Grant is also the author of a book called “Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World” which focuses on her 20-year career and ecology-focused adventures within the environmental fields as a Black woman and the important relationship each of us has with the natural world. 

While the lack of representation of Black people continues to be an issue within the environmental and conservation fields, these individuals demonstrate how their voices and perspectives are essential to the critical work that has been and continues to be accomplished by People of Color. Their knowledge and contributions are essential as we continue to make progress and gain a deeper understanding of how the pieces of the world fit together and work as a whole.  

Thank you, Dr. Francis, Dr. Carver, Hazel M. Johnson and Dr. Wynn-Grant for all that you have done to positively impact our environment! To learn more about Black-led environmental groups and organizations, we encourage you to read this article from our friends at Greenbelt Alliance.