About me

        My understanding of the world has been shaped by my home, education, and passions. 

In particular, my hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, has had a large impact on my identity and the ways in which I interact with the world. As a middle-class white woman who grew up in Cleveland, I recognized very quickly in life that my experience of this city was much different from others’.  

        Cleveland is considered the poorest major city in the United States by the Census Bureau.  

I attended Cleveland public schools, a massively underfunded intercity school district that serves predominantly low-income Black and Brown children. There is where I began to see inequities intertwined into our school system, and thus, in our world. Compared to other school systems in my area, my school had a loss of programs, and shorter school days. I quickly saw what this meant: the education of black and brown children is wholly undervalued and ignored. This experience began a journey of self-discovery of my values; I saw these inequalities and I recognized the power and privilege I have as a white woman. I wanted to educate myself even further on these dynamics.   

        Education has had a huge impact on my ability to express myself, grow and advocate for communities. My time in high school and college have been the largest periods of growth for myself; here, I was able to explore anti-racism, anti-capitalism, feminism, and environmentalism.  All of these values are deeply interconnected, and to disband one frame of inequity, we must disband all of the systems that have allowed for murder, theft and exploitation. Furthermore, the concept of sustainability came into my life during this time. Sustainability represents more than the environment; it is an understanding that in order to have a just and equitable society, we must ensure our systems can continue to thrive without exploitation and inequalities. The earth is not a commodity, but rather, a being we live symbiotically with and one we must respect.  

         Today, my passions intertwine sustainability and social justice. I am particularly passionate about creating a just and equitable food system, especially for those in urban centers like Cleveland that face blight, food deserts, and disinvestment. While corporations are responsible for a majority of anthropogenic climate change, we cannot rely on their leadership for climate solutions. I believe community-lead and grassroots responses to food inequities and insecurity are an essential tool in creating resilient and sustainable communities. We need to equip grassroots movements with the tools that they need to succeed; healthy, strong, and valued communities are essential in sustainable solutions. 

My worldview reflects my understanding of the systems that created the dynamics in the world around us; we must rely on one another to make valuable and sustainable change.