Aliyah Collins and Wawa Gatheru have been awarded for their efforts rooted in supporting others during climate change.
Aliyah Collins
They are one of three Tom’s of Maine Incubator winners to receive a $20,000 prize. In addition to money, Tom’s of Maine will provide mentorship, career opportunities, and assistance.
Collins, 24, was recognized for her work on the Eco Healing Project, which highlights the impact of climate disasters on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and shows students how to use planting and gardening as a spiritual practice to work through mental health challenges that arise as a result of such events.
“I was influenced to start this project because my senior year, when I was at Fisk University, I experienced a climate disaster, a violent tornado that came through the North Nashville area and devastated the community where my institution was located,” Collins told AfroTech in an exclusive interview.
“I experienced the mental impact of that aftermath. I was a full-time student. I was also working and also having to deal with having to recover from this violent tornado, not having electricity or power for days, and just having to navigate that was just very stressful for myself and also my peers. So, it really inspired me to create a solution for HBCU students who are experiencing the mental health impact of climate disasters and operating a solution to try to help mitigate that.”
The Tennessee native will be able to pilot the concept thanks to the new money. As a result, she hopes to give schools with garden resources as well as students with spiritual care frameworks in order to bring the project to their HBCUs.
Wawa Gatheru
Gatheru, a Connecticut native, has huge intentions as well, which will be supported by the five-figure investment. She is the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), which describes itself as a community dedicated to supporting “Black girls, women, and non-binary persons across environmental disciplines.” Participants may expect mentorship, programming, and instructional resources as part of the endeavor to establish a more inclusive space and offer a firm foundation for the community.
“What we’re doing with Black Girl Environmentalist is to create space for Black girls, Black women, and Black non-binary environmentalists, and spaces that speak to our unique environmental expertise and leadership that don’t exist in the wider audience,” Gatheru explained to AfroTech. “So, with BGE, we’ve done in-person and virtually, one of the most important feedbacks that we’ve gotten is that people are being able to experience joy and optimism in the climate space.”
She continued: “I think in our organizing spaces, especially in the climate space, we have to be creating conditions that look like the world we’re trying to love into existence. And with BGE, when we get to convene in person, I think we get glimpses and the ability to taste a better world, a world that centers Black women and Black fems in environmentalism.”
Looking ahead, Gatheru stated that the cash will assist BGE create capacity by compensating leads for their activities on the platform and facilitating access to resources. In addition, the funds will be used to fund a fellowship program, which is set to begin in the summer of 2024.