Leah Thomas

BY RILEY PEEDEN PHOTOS BY PROVIDED

Environmental activist, Leah Thomas, fights for equality within the field of environmental science using her nonprofit organization, her book, and her social media platform.

Leah Thomas, also known as @greengirlleah on Instagram and TikTok, is an environmental activist and educator who uses communications and writing to break down critical environmental issues that affect people’s daily lives. Thomas graduated from Chapman University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in environmental science and policy. Her main objective is to make environmental science more palatable for the everyday person. Her nonprofit organization, Intersectional Environmentalism, strives to make environmental information easily accessible for minority communities that often experience the harshest consequences of climate change.

“Everyday people have no idea what’s going on with their air quality, their water quality, unless it becomes a crisis like Flint, Michigan.”

- Leah Thomas to In The Know by Yahoo.

seams Thomas uses her nonprofit organization to raise awareness because she believes that knowledge is power. Thomas also educates communities on environmental issues through her writing. This year, Thomas published her book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, on International Women’s Day. Her goal is for the book to spread environmental information to all communities, and she hopes the book ends up in classrooms all across the country. Thomas writes to help merge social justice with environmentalism. This is evident in a piece she recently wrote for Vogue titled “All My Environmental Heroes Are Black Women.” Thomas primarily focused on the underrepresentation of Black women in the field of environmental science. She details her difficult and isolating experience studying environmental science as a woman of color, explaining that the accomplishments of white men tend to be the only focus. At the end of her piece, she highlights the accomplishments of five influential Black women in environmental science. She continues to empower women of color in the environmental science field through her social justice work. In early October, Thomas piloted the Black Ecofeminist Summit that was held in London. This summit was a combination of Black feminism and climate justice. The main objective of the Black Ecofeminist Summit, as outlined on Thomas’s website, was to “highlight the vast contributions of Black women to the environmental movement and serve as a hub for joy.” Twelve Black women spoke about their experiences within the field. Black Feminist Bookshop also helped produce this innovative summit. Thomas’ efforts are inspiring, and it is very clear that she is already making an impact. Through her efforts and her writing, she demonstrates that there is plenty of room for Black women within the environmental science field. Thomas hopes “[her] impact will be seeing more Black women in the environmental space and for them to feel really empowered.” Representation of female and Black people in the STEM field is something truly important.

Overlooking a valley from atop the 2522-foot Maricopa Peak, the highest point in the Ma Ha Tauk Range of Arizona’s South Mountains, in December of 2021. The sun briefly peaks out before again submitting to the