In a time when we long for miracles, allow me to draw your attention to one of the wildest. I was in the middle of one of my midnight Facebook scrolls, and came across a blurry photograph on my timeline. It was posted by a birder on one of the bird-nerd pages I follow. The…
JUST Environmental Conservation
Environmental racism- environmental manipulation that knowingly and intentionally impacts people of color with disproportionate severity. Individuals, corporations, and countries with power and money have benefited from the contamination and destruction of the land on which people of color and poor people live; places where they expect powerless resistance at most. For example, if you want to…
You still messing with them birds?
A quick one this time, but an important one. Regardless of whether or not you’re interested, within the first few minutes of meeting me you will learn that I love birds. I think most “bird people” are like that. Why birds? Because they changed my life. When you go outside, you will almost always see…
But I’m not in the picture
Warning: I will talk about ideas that may seem disconnected. That is by design, and will make sense in the end. I make sure everybody who enters my science-sphere knows I’m from the hood (poor, urban area with lots of people and little to no green space). Not because I think it makes me sound…
Look what I got myself into: Meet the marsh
I won’t speak for any of my fellow city folk, but whenever I heard the word “marsh” growing up, I pictured serenity, calm, stillness, comfort. If you’ve simply never thought about a marsh before, they are wetlands full of tall grasses, muddy soil, and water. They are stunning! However, when I stepped foot in the…
I think you’re the token
One time about 6 years ago, I was asked to talk to a group of 7th graders at an “inner city” public school about scientific research. Of course I was. I was the only black student in natural sciences at the local university, often referred to by my friends as the “token black student,” and…
“Well, it’s all an adventure that comes with a breathtaking view…” -The Greatest Showman
Despite growing up in Philadelphia’s “inner city” and having very little contact with green spaces, I have always been fascinated by wildlife. After completing my first internship in environmental education at the Philadelphia Zoo, I decided to pursue wildlife conservation as a career; I proceeded to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Zoo and Wildlife Biology…
Hood Naturalist 