6 Climate Activists of Color to Add to Your Feed

When it comes to climate change, marginalized communities are often the ones most impacted, as a result of systemic environmental racism. One of the many reasons why it's so important to listen to the voices speaking out from within these communities is because they are the ones on the front lines. Climate activists of color can often speak to the negative changes they are seeing, as well as offer up real-time solutions to the problems plaguing their neighborhoods and communities.

Check out this list of six climate activists of color who are making a difference, and how to follow them on Instagram to keep up with their work.

If you haven't already heard of Alexandria Villaseñor, you soon will. The California native is a Latina climate activist with a focus on intersectionality within the ongoing fight for climate justice. When she's not working with Earth Uprising, the organization she co-founded, she can be found on the picket line in front of the UN headquarters, where she and other New Yorkers gather each Friday.

Wawa Gatheru founded Black Girl Environmentalist, a robust online community that connects Black women, girls, and non-binary activists and environmentalists. Her Instagram post is full of press about her work, including spreads in Vogue, Teen Vogue, and Essence magazine.

The environment holds a special place in the heart of Leah Thomas. The activist spent college career interning within the National Parks Service, which prompted her to start her blog about modern environmentalism. She's turned that love of writing into another way to spread the word, and has been featured in publications like BuzzFeed, Vogue, and The Good Trade. She is best known for founding the platform Intersectional Environmentalist.

If the name Vic Barrett sounds familiar, it's because he is one of the young plaintiffs in the Juliana v. The United States of America lawsuit, which takes aim at the government for its role in the exportation and promoting of fossil fuels, the effect of which will surely be felt for generations yet to come. But the trans activist wants to be known for more than just his climate activism. Instead, he writes on his Instagram page that he wants to use his platform to help spread positivity and love everywhere he goes.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Ambassador Nyombi Morris' activism was born out of necessity after flooding destroyed his childhood home in Uganda, according to Earth Volunteers, the organization he founded in 2020. He has spent his adult life begging world leaders to take a more proactive stance against climate change, and to create more robust policies when it comes to pollution so that other children don't become climate refugees like he did.

Samata Pattinson's two passions, sustainability and fashion, have a natural intersection thanks to the rise in popularity of fast fashion. The CEO of Black Pearl has managed to take her vision to some of the most visual places, including on the 95th Annual Academy Awards, where she authored a Sustainable Style Guide for the production!