I recently read an inspiring article about a fantastic young activist and leader named Imani Black, the founder of the nonprofit organization Minorities in Aquaculture. Imani is an oyster farmer whose mission is to preserve wildlife and promote sustainability in the Chesapeake Bay area. She aims to provide greater opportunities for minority groups, specifically women of color, to participate in these initiatives. I found her story particularly powerful because she took two causes that she was passionate about and combined them into a much-needed and manageable mission.
Imani’s work has motivated me, with the help of my family, to take steps to start a related effort in the same coastal community I conducted research as part of the TREES program last summer. I am excited to announce that I am starting a non-profit organization that will address concerns of water pollution, specifically the problem of plastic litter and microplastics, in the Tuckerton Bay area of New Jersey. The organization will be called Plastic Free Peninsula (PFP), and through it I will work both to spread awareness about how plastic can harm the fish and shellfish populations so central to the area’s foodways and to organize community cleanups of Tuckerton’s salt marshes. Please check back in future months for updates! I will be creating a website for PFP and kicking off clean-ups. My goal is to bring as many neighboring kids and teens as possible on board.