Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Photo Credit: Dr. Ayana Johnson's Website/Eileen Fisher

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is That Girl Friday! We've been talking about ocean issues this week, so what better way to end than by featuring the scientist Outside Magazine calls “the most influential marine biologist of our time?”

She's the founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv and the founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab. Her phenomenal work centers healthy oceans, coastal cities, and social justice. She recently co-created the Blue New Deal, a plan for including the ocean in climate policy. In her Washington Post article about the Blue New Deal, she wrote, "the longer we wait to enact strong ocean and climate policies, the more vulnerable people of color and low-income people in coastal communities will become. Our solutions must be grounded in environmental justice and create good jobs in the Blue Economy."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Social justice, equality, and environmental protection are linked. When I was a fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency, I noticed there weren't many people who looked like me in environmental organizations. Dr. Johnson addresses that disparity in a TIME article, saying: "if climate organizations fail to prioritize welcoming people of color, the movement will never grow large enough to succeed." She ends that TIME article with an unforgettable statement, "Let’s value human diversity as much as we do biodiversity. Let’s think about the world we want to live in, and how we can build it, together."