Minority Women Step Towards Environmental Justice
Minority women have had the odds stacked against them for centuries. They have had to walk in doors that were locked and crack glass ceilings, in order to gain economic freedom. Some women are still delayed in participating in good paying jobs and business development, especially in non-traditional fields. However, there are opportunities out there that look to inform and uplift women within their communities. For instance, the environmental arena has numerous job opportunities within the field, but due to lack of exposure and the fact that the field is dominated by men, women tend to shy away from the field. Bonnie Marcus, author of Forbes article, Opportunities for Women To Impact The Environmental Movement, clarifies the importance of women within the field. Ms. Marcus states that women are well suited for the profession because “women in general are very sensitive to what’s going on in their environment.” She later explains that women also care about the areas their families reside, showing that the environmental justice movement itself is much more significant to them.
“women in general are very sensitive to what’s going on in their environment.”
BONNIE MARCUS
“The Food Trust” released an article entitled, The Grocery Gap, which speaks to how poor communities lack access to healthier food choices due to the lack of supermarkets within the community and the high prices that are placed on the nutritional items. This illustrates that in poverty-stricken communities, specifically the children within the communities, are not exposed to healthier eating lifestyles. The lack of exposure also prevents children from appreciating how they can contribute to the environmental movement. This, and other obstacles, such as minority women shying away (or being steered away) from Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) related school courses, prevent a substantial amount of minority women from seeing the abundance of opportunities the environmental work force has in store. There is a relationship between not taking advantage of STEM related courses and underrepresentation of minority women in the environmental jobs or business ownership.
Anderson and Associates, P.A. works to change the course of this path. In 2020, A&A consulted with an architectural firm to help bring social equity to impoverished communities in Central Florida through the design process. We focused on STEM career paths, helped students with access to technology with internet access and computers and awarded 12 college scholarships to students, without regard to the grade point average, but rather their desire to learn and help the community. Additionally, Veronica Anderson, Esquire, the founder and CEO of A&A, is an active contributor of the Equity Committee Working Group of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Central Florida Chapter. Veronica facilitated a collaboration with the Committee leaders, a non-profit mentoring organization and an Orlando branch of the Boys and Girls Club to introduce building sustainability and Green Associate certifications to middle and high school students, and young women, who may not go to college, but want to obtain a job in an environmental field. The USGBC also awards scholarships to underserved and underrepresented communities for further education. The application can be found at https://lnkd.in/gJAPUAj
Anderson and Associates, P.A.
225 N. French Ave.,
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: 407-843-9901
Info@ConsultLawOffice.Com
United States Green Building Council (USGBC) also awards scholarships to underserved and underrepresented communities for further education. The application can be found at https://lnkd.in/gJAPUAj