This year, I’ve had the pleasure of joining Our Climate as a Federal Fellow.
One of my goals as a Black woman and climate activist was to make sure my work reflected equity and uplifting the voices of the marginalized communities that are the backbone of our nation. Over the past couple of months through working with Our Climate, I’ve been awarded multiple opportunities to take action to build a better climate future for our world.
I’ve become a published writer on climate issues at seventeen. I questioned elected officials on the issues that actually matter and affect young people’s future everyday. I even hosted a Bingo Night to support Build Back Better (which was a hit, I’m a fantastic host).
And even though Build Back Better has been stalled in Congress, we cannot ignore the overwhelming support the $555 billion in climate investments featured in the bill had from both the American people and Members of Congress.
That’s why Our Climate is allocating time during our National Climate Justice Summit in D.C to host a National Climate Justice Rally on June 15th from 12- 1pm demanding that Congress pass $555 billion in climate investments for our futures.
And even more exciting, I’ve been asked to MC that rally!
The fact that one of my last moments with this program will be spent chanting, yelling, and passionately continuing to fight for climate justice, (because $555 billion dollars of Climate investments IS justice) alongside fellow activists and my newly found Our Climate family is extremely important to me and extremely important to our Earth’s future!
I joined this fellowship for moments like these and I encourage others to share this moment with us on June 15th at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in DC!
Nnennaya Ihejirikah is a 17-year-old Our Climate fellow from Houston, Texas. Nnennaya graduated high school in May 2021 with an Associate of Science from Houston Community College. She currently attends Howard University in Washington, DC as an Environmental Studies major and Spanish minor. Her Nigerian roots and experience as a Black woman highly influence her environmental activism. Outside of climate work and advocating for Build Back Better, she spends her free time reading, making youtube videos, going to the movies, and consuming too much TV.
If you’re passionate about supporting young climate leaders like Nnennaya, please consider making a donation to our work. All donations to support Our Climate’s National Climate Justice Summit will be doubled up to $250!