In April of this year, Tennessee State University’s Gateway 2 Heritage organization launched the first ever recycling center in the neighborhood of TSU. The center is a great addition to the community because before residents would have to travel miles and miles just to recycle! Currently the center is open for community members and college students. I had the opportunity to interview two young leaders who played vital roles in getting this center operating on TSU’s campus. Charles Brown is a rising Junior and Christopher Norwood is a recent Graduate. Here’s what they have to say about changing their campus and changing the world:
What is your name?
My name is Charles O Brown
What school do you attend and what is your year and major?
I am currently a political science major going into my junior year at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN
Why are you a part of the youth climate movement? How did you get involved?
I became involved in the climate change movement after getting involved with Gateway 2 Heritage at Tennessee State University. After joining and eventually becoming president of Gateway 2 Heritage, I began to realize even more that our habits as humans can and many times do have an negative impact on the climate which ultimately comes back and effects us, particularly blacks and minorities worst than others do to serious flaws in policies.
What is the current feeling towards the green movement and environmental justice on your campus and in your campus community?
Right now I would say more and more students are beginning to know that the green and environmental justice movements ARE real and ARE the wave of the future.
How are you working to improve the environmental conditions of your school and/or community?
Through my work with Gateway 2 Heritage at TSU, we currently have an emphasis recycling through our extensive paper-recycling program and were just involved in helping TSU expand our recycling through a new neighborhood-recycling center on our campus. Along with recycling we also focus on community esteem building through community clean ups in partnership with other students from Fisk University. Also, I work with Earth Matters Tennessee, which is a community organization in Nashville that focuses on community gardening.
What do you think have been and will be your biggest obstacles to success?
One of the biggest obstacles we face in this movement is not getting the proper attention we deserve, particularly from whites. Even though there are some blacks in the movement for the most part they aren’t given the recognition they deserve. Also, one of the biggest obstacles we face is making sure people take us seriously. Another obstacle is the fact that we need to involve more blacks and minorities in the movement as a whole.
What advice do you have for other students of color who are or would like to get involved in the youth climate movement?
Remember, it’s more than service it’s a movement! Sometimes the road gets rough and you may not always get the proper recognition you deserve but remember, you are not alone! Whenever I get down and feel my efforts are in vain, I always try to remind myself that I am not the only student of color who wants to make a difference in the world we live in by protecting the environment we live in.
What is your name?
Christopher Norwood
What school do you attend and what is your year and major?
I’m a graduate of Tennessee State University (December 2007) with a B.S. in Biology and a dual minor in Geography and Chemistry.
Why are you a part of the youth climate movement? How did you get involved?
I’m a part of the youth climate movement because I understand and am still continuing to learn the important benefits of living in a more sustainable environment. I got involved in the climate movement by randomly taking an Urban Geography class my sophomore year at TSU. By taking this geography class I was introduced more to recycling, global warming, environmental justice, and pro-active community activism. The various projects that we were required to perform propelled my desire to become more involved at TSU and in the community. With the help of geography professor Dr. David Padgett, community activist Sizwe Herring, TSU student Charles Brown and others we were able to bring the environmental awareness group Gateway 2 Heritage back to TSU and the community as we worked and still work effectively to bring about change.
What is the current feeling towards the green movement and environmental justice on your campus and in your campus community?
The current feeling towards the green movement and environmental justice on our campus and in our community is a growing awareness toward how these issues actually do affect us all, and is not just limited to race, ethnicity, economic status, or other boundaries which can divide people. The campus and community feelings toward the movement as a whole is improving which is good, but there definitely has to be more groups such as Gateway 2 Heritage who not only help to educate but through action demonstrate how to go about making an effective difference. Our community, which is primarily black, has in the past not been receptive to the green movement which can be traced to our people not knowing of its importance in our daily lives, not being able to have access to “green” opportunities (ex: recycling centers or jobs), and not having environmental groups coming to our side of town with the intentions to bring about this knowledge and change.
How are you working to improve the environmental conditions of your school and/or community?
I have been able to work to improve the environmental conditions at Tennessee State University and in the community by first learning about the movement through research, reading books, and taking classes to broaden my personal knowledge. Then I was able to find ways to go about bringing change by helping Gateway 2 Heritage to develop and grow as an environmental organization. During this process I networked with like-minded individuals who included professors, students, staff, and community residents to help in the cause. Together we have been able to do Earth Day celebrations at the school, hold public forums on various environmental topics, show conscious movies, utilize surveys, perform community clean/green up’s, work with other schools and organizations, strengthen our campus-wide recycling program, attend various conferences, and most recently we were able to bring a campus/community recycling center to our campus which allows for people to recycle paper, plastics, cans, bottles, and cardboard. Also, I currently work with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to promote more eco-friendly ways to utilize energy through campus initiatives.
What do you think have been and will be your biggest obstacles to success?
Our biggest obstacle to success in the green and environmental justice movement is the realization that we all have to truly include everyone and work together to make this a better place to live not only for ourselves, but for future generations. We have to see the need to leave something for future generations so that they can have something of worth to hold on to and build their legacies upon. In order for this movement to grow and really flourish then there has to be direct action taken which includes all people of color and backgrounds. If someone can’t get decent employment good enough to sustain a future for themselves or their families then they will either turn to crime, not care about the place in which they live, or both. When a movement primarily only includes one demographic of people then it can only reach that limited amount. We have to get past the “lets just save ourselves” mentality and realize that we are all brothers and sisters in the struggle to achieve greatness. Everyone, especially involved in this movement, has to know and truly believe that what we do is for the betterment of everyone. As long as we remember that what we did for ourselves in this life is not really remembered once we’re gone as much as the difference we made in other people’s life is.
What advice do you have for other students of color who are or would like to get involved in the youth climate movement?
The advice that I have from personal experience is to be the change that you want to see in society. This often quoted saying by Gandhi should be the motto and what we all live by in this movement. Don’t wait aside for someone else to do something that you could do, because nine times out of ten once someone see’s you doing something they will want to either know more about it or do it as well. Be a leader, but know how to be led by others when need be. I would also say to never let anyone or anything get you down. We all will have obstacles that will try and tear us down, but the difference between those who thrive and others who don’t is the ability to recognize that obstacles are nothing more than a stepping stone in the right direction. Last but not least persistence overcomes failure….Reading, researching, and learning as much as you can before you join any cause is something I find very beneficial. Another way to directly get involve is to start doing what you think should be done after you learn about it (ex: recycling or community activism), then join a school group or create one. Finding like minded people to help you along the way (networking) is good, as well as joining community environmental groups. Attend events around town and try to go to as many conferences (there are free conferences and those that offer scholarships to attend I know) as possible to expand your knowledge…Just remember each one of us has a purpose and we are here to make a difference. What difference you make is up to you.
Tags: campus, community, HBCU, recycling, sustainability, tennessee, Tsu
