"A new day has dawned for women;

a new deal is here. Action has taken place quickly, and women have

come into their own."

Elizabeth Lindsay Davis,
National Historian

The National Association

of Colored Women 1896

DONATE*

*You will be redirected to PayPal for the EcoWomanist Institutes’ Fiscal Sponsor, Institute for Local Innovations, Inc.

WHO WE ARE

Welcome to the EcoWomanist Institute (EWI)! We are a nonprofit providing restorative and healing justice to communities, founded by Black women FOR Black women and women of color around the world.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the EcoWomanist Institute is to increase the inclusion, ecological awareness, and environmental leadership of African American women within the ecospirituality

and ecojustice narratives.

EWI PROGRAMS

OUR COHORT

OUR STATISTICS

The Emerging Leaders & Mentorship (ELM) program from the EcoWomanist Institute aims to nurture the growth and leadership of Black womxn in sustainability and environmental justice. Environmental injustices disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities, yet they are often under-represented in mainstream sustainability circles. Additionally, oftentimes typical leadership programs do not adequately address the unique needs and skill set of Black womxn in environmental spaces.

Each year, a cohort of 10 emerging Black womxn environmental leaders will have the opportunity to develop leadership, policy, and development skills throughout the five month engagement. Customized to meet the needs of cohort members, the program will ensure that at the conclusion of the program not only will the EcoWomxn participants be adept at successfully navigating policy, community, and economics needed to support their collective work, but also cultivate resilience personally, professionally and for the communities they serve.

1/1

Our reach

Black

6 States

25 - 45

Our ethnicity

Our age

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IS 24/7

SOUL CARE SELF CARE

EWI’s mission is to provide information, connections, and a nurturing environment for women to understand that taking care of ones self is the ultimate “form of resistance” against a system that decided centuries ago that women of African descent did not need to rest. EWI recognizes that an entire social construct of labor was built on the backs of Black women. Added to this construct was the “trilogy of oppression”; race, gender and
class.

WHAT WE DO

Mamas and Me invites Black and Brown moms to build a stronger, more intentional relationship with mother nature in their homes and their communities, through a virtual program that's easily accessible to them in their homes. This virtual program provides these moms with educational tools and gives them the chance to learn more about the spiritual and healing powers of nature, alongside their children.

EWI C0-VISIONARIES & CO-FOUNDERS

EWI GOTV RUN-OFF 2021 CAMPAIGN

The EcoWomanist Institute. 5 Programs. 3 Campaigns. Over 700,000 touched by our ads. And we're just getting started.

The GOTV Campaign was a Georgia voter awareness campaign created by EWI and hosted by Radio One. This campaign ran for a month and delivered 730,818 impressions,

far exceeding its original goal.

520,806

The Ella Baker display

campaign delivered

impressions!

The Pre-Roll display

campaign for Fannie Lou Hamer delivered

impressions!

134,674

Watched the Connected TV

campaign all the

way through!

97.5%

OUR EPISODES

DR. STEPHANIE Y. EVANS

Professor & Director of the Institute of Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies at Georgia State University

Listen in to learn about Dr. Stephanie's book, and an overview of her research about how Historical Wellness can inform our work to “heal minds, bodies, and spirits.”

ABOUT OUR PODCAST

The Institute’s programs and services heal minds, bodies, and spirits from the social, economic, and environmental injustices that African American women face in their daily lives. It creates a safe space for “kitchen table talk,” so African American women can voice their joys, concerns, challenges, and visions for their work in the fields of ecological and social justice.

MAMAS & ME IN NATURE

August Recap: As a Black Woman, I define self-care as the ability to safely and comfortably exhale.

On this day we both exhaled and inhaled.

My daughter and I exhaled the struggle, stress and emotional dramas of the past week. We used all of our senses to inhale the complete freedom and joy of nature.

It is often that you will see pictures of Zi’Joy & myself in nature or exploring something. This has been our world from the day she was born.

This is my lasting gift to her.

We were treated to a day at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum compliments of Mamas and Me in Nature in connection with EcoWomanist Institute. It was a day to certainly exhale and inhale.

Eyes full of wonder and questions to be asked and answered.

As we learned, explored, and connected with the world around us we also took the time to connect with each other. Grounding us both but giving us wings to fly and experience life. BY LEDONNA NUBIN, Leader of MidLife MaMas & member of the Mamas & Me in Nature family.

WHAT WE DO

September Color: Purple

September Flower: Asters and Morning Glories

September Activity: Fall Equinox Celebration (9/22)

September Suggested Experience: Fall Equinox Celebration (9/22)

September Recipe: Easy Grape Jam Recipe

September Book: The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell

September Quotation: “I think it [annoys] God...if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” -Alice Walker

Hannah enjoying an afternoon picnic!

Hannah Kyle (Daughter of Mamas & Me Founder, Hope Kyle)

Hannah gets creative!

Hannah Kyle (Daughter of Mamas & Me Founder, Hope Kyle)

LeDonna and ZiJoy enjoying an afternoon craft!

The founder of Midlife MaMaS, LeDonna, and her daughter, ZiJoy!

Hannah enjoying an afternoon picnic!

Hannah Kyle (Daughter of Mamas & Me Founder, Hope Kyle)

1/4

Valerie Rawls

In addition to being a social entrepreneur, new urbanist, mass collaborator, and co-creator, Valerie is a marketing expert by training and a career of more than four decades. Valerie earned a B.A. in Marketing from Illinois State University and in the past decade has engaged diverse stakeholders in sustainability initiatives.

Veronica Kyle

Co-Visionary & Founder

Veronica is a sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator on environmental issues, gender-related issues, green economic opportunities, and more. She also works with houses of worship across Illinois to link African American churches to the work of Faith in Place. She holds a B.A. in Religion and Women Studies and a M.A. degree in Gender and Development Studies.

Veronica Kyle

Veronica is a sought-after speaker & workshop facilitator on environmental issues, gender-related issues, green economic opportunities, and more. She also works with houses of worship across Illinois to link African American churches to the work of Faith in Place. She holds a B.A. in Religion and Women Studies and a M.A. degree in Gender and Development Studies.

OUR TEAM

Cicely Garrett

EWI FELLOWS MEMBER & ELM CREATOR

(Emerging Leaders & Mentorship Program)

Cicely is a Creative Strategist & Social Entrepreneur adept at providing thought leadership & consulting on strategy, design thinking, racial equity, environmental justice, food sovereignty, and community wealth building. She spearheaded the transition of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability to Office of Resilience. She served as a community builder, facilitator, and program manager for 8.5 years at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, where she led the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. In 2013 she transitioned to Food Systems Innovation Manager working to improve fresh & healthy food access in Atlanta's inner-city neighborhoods via GA Food Oasis-Atlanta initiative. She holds a B.S.B.A degree with a concentration in Finance and New & Small Business Management and has a Master of Public Policy degree with a concentration in Non-Profit Management.