“We don’t need to fix the planet, we need to fix ourselves. We have lost the sense of wonder and beauty for the gift that has been given to us.” Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Advocate for ecological and social justice, Reverend Mariama White-Hammond.
In celebration of Earth Day, Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangle Arts are thrilled to present An Evening with Reverend Mariama White-Hammond. Reverend Mariama will speak virtually on April 23rd at 6:00 PM, and her presentation will be immediately followed by an audience Q&A.
Reverend Mariama brings a life of diverse experiences to her environmental and faith teachings. Before entering seminary, she was the director of Project HipHop, an organization creating arts programming for youth of color in Boston. She worked with youth to address modern day social justice issues through the lens of the Civil Rights movement. She experienced firsthand the ways her community was affected by lack of healthcare, poor education, and police brutality–during her time at Project HipHop two of her students were shot and killed, and another was stabbed and killed.
She was called to join the environmental movement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when she saw the people she had worked with through Project HipHop in New Orleans being affected by natural disaster. She went on to enter seminary and later joined the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests.
More recently, Rev. Mariama White-Hammond was the former Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the City of Boston. In this capacity, she led climate and energy policy, historic preservation, food justice and open space efforts. Throughout her tenure with the City, she was instrumental in embedding equity into her work, leading initiatives such as amending the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to establish carbon targets for existing large buildings, spearheading a city-led green jobs program for young people from environmental justice communities, and overseeing a surge in historic landmark designations in underserved communities. In April 2024 she stepped down from this position to dedicate more time to her church and community engagement work.
Reverend Mariama’s dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including the Barr Fellowship, the Celtics Heroes Among Us award, The Roxbury Founders Day Award, and the Boston NAACP Image award.
We are fortunate to welcome Reverend Mariama White-Hammond for this celebration of the 55th Earth Day. On this annual holiday to celebrate the environmental movement and take action and protect our planet, Rev. Mariama invites us to reflect on the intersection of environmental justice and social equity. Her work emphasizes that protecting the planet cannot be separated from addressing the needs of the most vulnerable communities, especially those who have historically borne the brunt of environmental degradation and climate change.
We look forward to welcoming Reverend Mariama White-Hammond on April 23rd at 6:00 PM for this virtual event. Join us.
