24 Black Sustainable Baddies To Know
This Black History Month, let’s commit to celebrating Black creativity, progress, and leadership, not just for one month, but year-round, all the time. We wanted to take some extra time to introduce you to some fantastic Black baddies who are killing the game in sustainability, eco-activism, mental health, creativity, and more. If you don’t already know these folks, we are here to introduce you to just SOME of the inspiring baddies who are out here doing their thing.
The Mental Health Mommies
Austin is a model, content creator, artist, and diviner based in Brooklyn. She is the brain behind multiple mental health and self-care focused community projects, including her substack, Come Home, and her dinner party collective for women and femmes: Third Cup. Her platforms celebrate being unapologetically authentic, joy-filled, and surrounding ourselves with uplifting communities.
Agyeman is the founder of Saddie Baddie, a virtual sanctuary for Black & multiracial people to destigmatize mental health + initiate collective healing. Saddie Baddie provides innovative mental health discourse and community building through curated social media content, newsletters, and a podcast: The Soft Life.
Mullan is the mind behind Decolonizing Therapy, a resource for individuals, mental health professionals, educators, and everyone who is learning how to re-think therapy, mental health care, and related stigma. As a self-proclaimed “Rage Dr.,” Mullan is a leading voice in reimagining therapy practices to account for experiences of all non-white, non-cis, and non-het identities.
The Forest Fairies
Nikole is the brain behind Blackforager on Instagram and her foraging-focused TikTok account. Based out of Columbus, Ohio, Nikole provides education on foraging, wild plant recipes, and more. Her background in environmental science and theatre makes her platforms as engaging as they are educational. Check out her profile to learn how to reconnect with your roots in your ecosystem and eat locally and seasonally.
pc: Afros in Nature
Afros in Nature is a Pennsylvania-based collective for connecting Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to nature through curated programming centered on outdoor recreation, organic farming, and environmental education. Each team member is independently passionate about being in and around nature, and together, they have created this nature-based community.
Newsome is the creator behind Hood__Naturalist. She is a Philadelphia native wildlife biologist focused on environmental justice and conservation. Newsome is particularly passionate about birds and is an avid birdwatcher and educator. Her platforms provide education on conservation science, bird watching, and social activism.
The Socially Concerned Sweethearts
Frame is the founder behind Sustain Frame, a sustainability platform based in New York that connects the community to environmental and sustainability efforts through curated experiences and community support. After years of working in fashion in New York and food service in New Orleans, Frame was left trying to find ways to mitigate these industries' impact on the planet. In addition to Sustain Frame, Krystal Frame is also Chief Operations Officer for Hike Clerb, an intersectional women’s outdoor club and non-profit. She is also involved with other community organizations like Tankproof and Future Front.
8. Leah Thomas
Thomas is the founder of the Environmental Justice and Education nonprofit, Intersectional Environmentalist. She is also the author of the book of the same title. The organization seeks to build community and provide comprehensive environmental justice education rooted in intersectionality and envisions a more equitable approach to climate activism. Independently, Thomas uses her platform for climate education, activism, and advocacy.
9. Tankproof
Tankproof is an organization founded by musicians, activists, and twins, Torrence and Thurman Thomas. The organization provides zero-cost swimming lessons to underserved communities in Louisiana, Austin, Dallas, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Brooklyn (and expanding!). They also provide food access, disaster relief, and COVID-19 support within the Tankproof community.
10. Jhánneu Roberts
Jhánneu Roberts is a sustainability expert and speaker who uses her platform to illustrate how we can implement sustainability into our lifestyles. She centers around plant-based living, lowering waste and consumption, and navigating more sustainable travel tactics.
Laiyo is an Afro-Colombian climate and social activist and style content creator. Working alongside organizations like Remake Our World and Synergy Social, Laiyo created a platform bound by community to inspire kindness, optimism, and steadfastness toward a better and more just world.
12. Jerome Foster II
Jerome Foster II is currently the youngest member of the White House’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. He is a youth and queer climate activist who illustrates how climate can impact the queer community as well as other marginalized communities. He is also an advocate for improved climate legislation.
The Fierce Fashionistas
13. Aliya Wanek
Aliya Wanek is the founder of her namesake sustainable clothing brand, featuring small-batch production and a zero-waste model. In addition to her brand, Wanek is also a founder of In Todo Us, a Southern California-based “curated craft fair bringing visibility to the craft of BIPOC creatives in our communities.”
14. Iesha Gilchrist
Iesha Gilchrist is a style icon and founder of the account Thrift N’ Tell, a platform for reimagining clothing and thrifting. She uses her platform to provide helpful tools for thrifting clothes that you will not only wear but love to wear. She is a DIY queen and a style risk-taker. Both her YouTube and her Instagram provide great inspiration for thrifting style ideas and practical tips on how to thrift, re-work, and style pieces.
15. Sainabou Lowe
pc: Sainabou Lowe
Sainabou Lowe is an artist and designer and the creator of SAIbysai, a streetwear brand featuring hand-painted garments. The brand’s mission is for “all customers to look as if they belong in a museum, and feel that same level of confidence.” Lowe is also an advocate for more Black female representation in the streetwear fashion and design world.
16. Rian Phin
Rian is a fashion theorist who started on YouTube in 2013 and is now commanding the fashion world of TikTok. In a recent Vogue article, she explained that her content “is mostly focused on the digital world, how we talk about fashion online, and how we interact with fashion in the real world based on the Internet.” Her videos provide in-depth takes on the latest high-fashion trends and the ways in which we see them trickle down into mainstream fashion.
Akiera Xavina Charles is the founder of Bed-Stuy Clothes Swap, a community-based movement in Brooklyn. Charles is also the founder of Black Fae Dae a community for “Black ethereal beings 🧚♀️ n’ magical enthusiasts ✨🦋.” Both platforms are focused on creating authentic spaces for connecting, learning, and growing in community with others.
You might recognize Rosario Dawson from her time on Jane The Virgin, but now, Rosario and Abrima Erwiah are the brains behind the creative sustainable fashion label, Studio One Eighty Nine. Together, they created a brand in collaboration with artisan communities across the African continent. All designs use locally derived dyes and natural fibers.
19. Summer Dean
Summer Dean, also known as the Climate Diva, Dean is a Slow Fashion activist and a sustainability storyteller. Through her art, she amplifies Mother Earth in all its natural beauty, and through her activism, she inspires her audience to center slow fashion, and planet-safe cosmetics in their style journey.
10. Hodan Yousuf
Hodan Yousuf is a Black Muslim stylist and fashion content creator based in Berlin. Yousuf styles thrifted and vintage clothing to show that a modest aesthetic can also be fashionable and cool. From creative layering to styling 90s and modern trends, she confidently embraces the hijab and covering up as a way of self-expression.
The Artsy Angels
If you know or live in Philly, you know all about Maldonado. A community leader and small business owner, Maldonado is a Philadelphia icon. Her home and life shop, Yowie, now nestled in the neighborhood of Queen Village, started as an online shop in 2016. The innovative store is curated to resemble an art gallery as opposed to a retail shop. Maldonado is also currently in the process of creating a boutique hotel, cafe, and larger retail shop.
Kadija is a self-titled “fruity maximalist/retrofuturist rascal”. As a vintage buyer and stylist at Super Thrift in California, their content is defined by retro vintage pieces that they incorporate into their own individual style. We love them for inspiration for blending fashion eras with our own stylistic expression. Not to mention, their makeup game is next level.
Aiyana N. Ishmael is a journalist for Teen Vogue and has published works in Wall Street Journal and Refinery 29. Ishmael writes on culture and fashion and pushes boundaries for reporting on plus-sized fashion in particular. She is originally from Miami, Florida, and is now reporting from New York City. In addition to her writing, Ishmael produced a podcast called Black Fat Fashion.
24. Dua Saleh
If you watched season 3 of Sex Education, you are probably already as obsessed with Dua Saleh as we are. Saleh is a Sudanese-born, Minnesota-raised performer and musician. They have been writing and making their own music for years and released their first EP in 2019. Before producing music and acting, Saleh wrote poetry and was occasionally featured on the spoken word account, Button Poetry. Saleh continues to make music that is reflective of their Sudanese and queer identity.
Black History is a never-ending celebration, so remember to stay supporting these baddies long after February ends.
Of course, this list only features five of the many Black Baddies whom we love, but there are so many more! Leave us a comment on who inspires you this BHM and we will feature them throughout the month.