It is time for the final HerStory love letter of 2021, and, much like last year, we are using December to celebrate, not one woman, but a group of women we admire. With our The Future is Bright colorway, we are featuring young women working on climate change and community justice issues. We want to say thank you to these young women, and also ask that you support them in their endeavors, because, as Whitney Houston famously sang, “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way…” We are fully prepared to follow these young women into a future that is hopefully on its way to healing the climate…
Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, also known as Little Miss Flint, is a youth activist from Flint, Michigan. She is best known for raising awareness about the Flint water crisis and fundraising to support underprivileged children in her community and across the country.
Marina Anderson, a tribal leader for the Organized Village of Kasan on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, is known for advocating for protections of Indigenous culture and places, most particularly the Tongass National Forest (a temperate rain forest known as North America’s lungs) in Alaska. In 2020, protections were taken away from this vital rainforest, and Marina and other Indigenous activists have been fighting for this land.
Isra Hirsi from Minneapolis, MN, co-founded and served as the co-executive director of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike after organizing two nation-wide climate strikes in 2019. Hirsi is an advocate for intersectionality and diversity within the climate justice movement as well as in her daily life. She is the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Vanessa Nakate is a climate activist from Kampala, Uganda. She was inspired to action by the realization that the livelihood and survival of her home country depends deeply on addressing climate change, and argues that African countries and communities should be compensated for the loss and damage arising from climate change that they are now suffering but that they are not very responsible for. She founded the Youth for Future Africa and the Rise Up Movement.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. She speaks truth to power, no holding back.
These young women are all heroes of ours: smart, caring, and dedicated to making a difference in this world that we all share. There are many others that are doing good work, and that deserve our support. Even though sometimes the world seems heavy and hopeless, these women give us hope and remind us that The Future is Bright. We hope they (and the colorway we created to honor them) brightens up your days.
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