By Barb Spears
With Black History month upon us, I started thinking about the contributions of black women to environmental stewardship and I immediately thought of one of my heroes, Wangari Maathai.
Wangari Maathai (April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was born in Nyeri, Kenya. At a young age, she became fluent in English and later received scholarships to study in the United States where she earned B.S. in biology, with minors in chemistry and German, and a M.S., also in biology. She went on to study philosophy at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a Ph.D. Her legacy includes social, environmental, and political activism and receiving many honors and awards, most notably as the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Picture from environmentalafrica.com
Dr. Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK) from 1976 to 1987 and served as its chairwoman from 1981-87. In 1977 she started the Green Belt Movement (GBM), a grassroots organization encouraging rural women to plant trees. Through their efforts, women grow and plant trees, combat deforestation, restore their main source of fuel for cooking, generate income, and stop soil erosion. The GBM empowers women who engage in environmental advocacy, eco-tourism, and increased economic development in their communities.
Since Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in 1977, over 51 million trees have been planted, there are more than 4,000 Green Belt nurseries throughout Kenya that generate income for 150,000 people, and over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping, and other trades that help them earn an income while preserving their lands and resources.
Books by Wangari Maathai:
The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience
(New York: Lantern Books, 2003)Unbowed: A Memoir (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006; Vintage/Anchor, 2008)
The Challenge for Africa (New York: Pantheon, 2009; Vintage/Anchor, 2010)
Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World (New York: Doubleday Image, 2010)
Taking Root The vision of Wangari Maathai (takingrootfilm.com). FREE streaming for Earth Day, April 22, 2020 and beyond.
An absolutely amazing woman, Wangari Maathai reclaimed her country's land from 100 years of deforestation, provided new sources of food and income to rural communities, gave previously impoverished and powerless women a vital political role in their country, and ultimately helped to bring down Kenya's 24-year dictatorship-all through the simple act of planting a tree!
Sources:
Green Belt Movement
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